Santo Domingo to host Olympic volleyball qualifier Aug. 21-29

Santo Domingo is set to host the women's Norceca volleyball championship from August 21 to 29, an event that will not only crown a continental champion but also award a coveted Olympic qualifying spot for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. Eight national teams are slated to compete in the high-stakes tournament.

The participating teams include hosts Dominican Republic, Canada, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Mexico, Cuba, and the United States. While the U.S. team has secured its place in the Olympics as the host nation, the single Olympic berth will be fiercely contested among the remaining seven teams. Additionally, the top three finishers, excluding the U.S. and Canada, will earn berths to the 2027 World Cup.

“

The U.S. team has secured its place in Los Angeles, by virtue of being the host country, so the Olympic ticket will come out of the best of the other seven teams.

Group A will feature the United States, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada. Group B will consist of the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The top four teams from each group, excluding the U.S. and Canada from the Olympic qualification race, will advance to the semifinals on August 28. The winners of the semifinals will then compete in the final on August 29 to determine both the Norceca champion and the Olympic qualifier.

The Dominican Republic's "Reinas del Caribe" (Queens of the Caribbean), fresh off their seventh consecutive Central American and Caribbean Games title, are widely considered the favorites to secure the Olympic ticket. Their campaign begins with a match against Costa Rica. The recent success of the Dominican team was bolstered by significant government investment, with over 10 billion pesos (approximately $166 million) allocated for facility upgrades, according to Sports Minister Kelvin Cruz.

“

The Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Santo Domingo and other Dominican cities from July 24 to August 8 and were a "complete success."