The men's volleyball team from Cuba has been eliminated from the final of the 2026 Norceca Men's Continental Championship after losing to Canada 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-17) in the semifinals held at the Avenir Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick.
With the victory, Canada secured their direct ticket to the 2027 Volleyball World Cup in Poland and their spot in the tournament's grand final. Cuba, however, has not yet closed the door on their World Cup chances: if they win the bronze medal match—scheduled for this Wednesday at 4:30 PM Atlantic time (3:30 PM in Cuba), presumably against the Dominican Republic—they will also secure their place in Poland 2027, one of the three spots allocated by the tournament.
The first two sets were closely contested, with the Cubans losing by narrow margins of 26-24 and 25-22. The third, on the other hand, was a clear domination by the locals: 25-17. The analysis from sports journalist Raúl Rodríguez, who closely followed the match, points to a tactical decision by the Cuban coaching staff: "In the third set, it seems Cuba didn't push hard and made several changes—perhaps to conserve legs for the bronze medal match and the Olympic Qualifier—and lost 25-17."
The head coach Jesús Cruz opted for a conservative rotation that caught attention: he left the central defender Robertlandy Simón on the bench and gave limited minutes to the forward Marlon Yant, who ended with just five points. The strategy appears to be aimed at preserving his key players for the bronze medal match and the Norceca Pre-Olympic leading to Los Angeles 2028, which starts on September 18.
On the Canadian side, Sharone Vernon-Evans (“Sho”) and Eric Loeppky led the offense with 14 points each, while veteran Stephen Maar contributed 13. Statistically, Canada outperformed Cuba in attack (39 points to 31), blocking (eight to six), and serving (nine to three).
The top scorer for Cuba was the opposite Alejandro González «Ragnar», with 12 points, who continues to establish himself as a key player for the national team following an impressive season in Europe.
In the other semifinal of the day, the United States swept the Dominican Republic 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-10), setting up a championship final on Wednesday at 7:00 PM (Atlantic time) between Canada and the United States. Cuba and the Dominican Republic will compete for third place.
Beyond the bronze, Cuba's immediate horizon is the Norceca Pre-Olympic heading to Los Angeles 2028, which will take place on September 18 and 19 among the four best eligible teams of the continental tournament —excluding the U.S., already qualified as the host country for the Olympics—. There will be a single Olympic ticket on the line, making this tournament the true objective for the Cuban delegation in Moncton.
The bronze medal match against the Dominican Republic will also be the first step toward Los Angeles.
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