Preview of Puerto Rico’s basketball World Cup with Spain

Return to the World Cup after absence from the 2022 event, the first stone

The defeat against Belgium in the last seconds of the Eurobasket 2025 final also prevented Spain from directly qualifying for this 2026 World Cup in Germany. This position will have to be earned in a very intense week of life or death matches against teams of very good level.

This World Cup qualifying format, so compressed by the disparity of WNBA and European calendars, leaves no room for error. It is true that more than 50% of participating teams qualify, since in the group of Spain fell to the United Statesalready in the World Cup as American champion.

Therefore, among the five remaining teams that participate in Puerto Rico; what are they Spain, Italy, Puerto Rico, New Zealand and Senegal, there will be three tickets to compete in the intercontinental tournament to be held in Germany.

Half pass to the World Cup, in the first two days of competition

And Spain will hardly be able to overcome the ‘jet lag’ when arriving in Puerto Rico, where the Spanish World Cup group is played. His first two rivals, New Zealand (Wednesday the 11th, 7pm) and Senegal (Thursday the 12th, 7pm), seem the most likely to achieve victory and put the World Cup qualification ahead of us.

Early morning from Saturday to Sunday, at one o’clock, Spain will face the host, Puerto Rico. A clash that took place in Paris 2024 and in which Spain won with two free throws in the last second by Laura Gil. When three teams plus the United States qualified; Puerto Rico, Italy and Spain are the ones with the most options in this World Cup, but a setback against the New Zealanders or Senegal could turn everything upside down.

The other European rival that Méndez’s team has in its group is Italy (Sunday 15, 10 p.m.). The latest precedent between both teams is not very flattering for Méndez’s team.since in the last national team break the transalpines got rid of Spain with relative ease.

Spain will close its participation against the ‘coconut’ United States. Let’s hope that our homework is done, because the number 1 team in the FIBA ​​ranking is going with many of its stars to prepare for the World Cup and for someone to win a match for them in Puerto Rico seems like a pipe dream.

Iyana Martín, to make up for her absence in the final phase of the Eurobasket to play in her first World Cup

Last year it was already uncovered, but this year the woman from Oviedo is being the watchword of a landmark like Perfumerías Avenida. With 13.3 points per day and an average rating of 16, The importance of Iyana Martín in Spain to generate play is anticipated to be crucial if they want to return to a World Cup.

Martín’s first appearance before the general public It was at a U19 World Cup in Madrid. In it he did not win gold when he fell in the last seconds against the United States, but he already made it clear that he is capable of leading a national team. Three years later he seeks to do the same in the senior category, in order to compensate for his loss due to infectious colitis in the decisive phase of Eurobasket 2025.

Also opportunity to show yourself to the world of Awa Fam. The Spanish from Valencia Basket is sounding very strong to be among the first choices of the 2026 WNBA Draft and, as happened in the Eurobasket against Francea good performance against very powerful teams gives scouts a good account of their real ability to compete with the best.

Megan Gustafson returns after her absence from Eurobasket

Although he was already in the friendlies in the window prior to this World Cup, this tournament is also the return to an official competition with Spain by Megan Gustafson. At the moment, the naturalized player played in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she was clearly the offensive beacon of the national team.

With the appearance of Awa Fam, although with little or no time for testing, Méndez will surely try to put them together more than once on the court to have a powerful inside game on par with the most physical teams in the world. The returns to this call regarding the Eurobasket are more recoveries after injury, since Maite Cazorla also returns after not playing in the continental tournament for another misfortune.

Of the players who won silver in the Eurobasket there are not Alba Torrens, Irati Etxarri or Andrea Vilaró, that with the return of María Conde after her serious rupture of the Achilles tendon and the Pueyo explosion in Casademont Zaragoza They have seen how the forward position in the Spanish team is very expensive.