MIAMI (USA) – The wait is almost over. National team basketball action returns in a week with the second window of the FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers, taking place from November 21-25. This round of games will be crucial as it will start defining which teams are on track for next year’s continental tournament in Nicaragua—and which teams might fall short. Let’s remember that the top three teams from each group advance, except for Group C, where host Nicaragua already has a guaranteed spot, leaving only two slots available. Here are the must-watch games in this second window:
Brazil vs. Uruguay - Group B
Thursday, November 21 Local time: 8:00 p.m. (GMT-3) Arena Guilherme Paraense, Belém, Brazil. Both teams come into this matchup with a 2-0 record, leading the group. The winner will take sole possession of first place and make significant progress toward securing one of the three spots at stake. Their preliminary rosters feature some young talents seeking experience, alongside key players who have been instrumental in recent campaigns. For Brazil, notable names include Vitor Benite, Bruno Caboclo, Georginho De Paula, Raul Neto, and João "Mãozinha" Pereira, who competed in the last Olympic Games. Lucas Dias and Didi Louzada are sidelined due to injuries. In Uruguay, players like Luciano Parodi, Joaquín Rodríguez, Martín Rojas, Emiliano Serres, and Kiril Wachsmann stand out. Over the past five years, under the current competition system, they’ve faced each other five times across the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers, AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers, and AmeriCup 2022, with Brazil dominating all five encounters.
Canada vs. Dominican Republic - Group C
Thursday, November 21 Local time: 7:10 p.m. (GMT-6) SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Canada. Group C is the toughest as only two spots are available, making nearly every matchup crucial. Canada (2-0) leads, followed by the Dominican Republic (1-1) and Mexico (1-1). Canada must defend home court to maintain first place and avoid complications. For the Dominican Republic, a win in Canada would guarantee at least a split against the group’s toughest rivals, with the chance to finish strong at home against Canada in the last window. Since 2019, they have met six times across various qualifiers, with Canada winning four of those matchups, including the last two.
Cuba vs. Bahamas - Group D
Friday, November 22 Local time: 6:00 p.m. (GMT-5) Ciudad Deportiva Coliseum, Havana, Cuba. Cuba needs to capitalize on their home-court advantage, as they did against the USA, to stay in the qualification race. The team that prevails here would take a giant step towards at least third place in the group. That same day, the United States and Puerto Rico, the other rivals in the zone, will clash, with their sights set on first place. In recent years, Cuba and the Bahamas haven’t faced off. Their last meeting was in the 1995 AmeriCup, where Cuba emerged victorious.
Argentina vs. Venezuela - Group A
Friday, November 22 Local time: 10:15 p.m. (GMT-3) Islas Malvinas Sports Complex, Mar del Plata, Argentina. In Group A, all four teams are 1-1, and the winner of this matchup will temporarily take the lead. Argentina is working to regain its identity, while Venezuela is in need of a generational shift as many of their key players are nearing 40. Both teams are not at their best, having recently suffered losses to Chile and Colombia, respectively. In the past five years, Argentina and Venezuela have met five times in various qualifiers, with Argentina winning three of those encounters.
Canada vs. Mexico - Group C
Sunday, November 24 Local time: 2:10 p.m. (GMT-6) SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Canada. As mentioned earlier, Group C’s margin for error is slim, and Canada can’t afford to falter at home since their last games will be away against the Dominican Republic and Mexico in February. A home win could potentially secure their qualification early. Mexico, on the other hand, will be determined to pull off a road victory since, although they split 1-1 with the Dominican Republic, they trail in point differential. Since the competition system update in 2019, Canada and Mexico have met only once, in the 2022 AmeriCup Quarterfinals, where Canada took the win.
Chile vs. Venezuela - Group A
Monday, November 25 Local time: 8:00 p.m. (GMT-3) Antonio Azurmendi Coliseum, Valdivia, Chile. Chile pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the previous window by defeating Argentina, so a win over Venezuela seems within reach, especially given Venezuela’s roster transition. Another factor favoring Chile is that Argentina and Venezuela will have already faced each other, meaning one of them will be carrying another loss, giving Chile the chance to tie or even surpass them in the standings. Chile and Venezuela met twice in the 2019 World Cup Qualifiers and twice in the 2022 AmeriCup Qualifiers, with Venezuela winning all four matchups by double digits. FIBA