USA, Canada and Cuba secure 2027 World Cup spots

The United States, Canada and Cuba can book their tickets to Poland after they claimed the three spots in the 2027 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup in play at the NORCECA Continental Championship, which concluded on Wednesday in Moncton, Canada.

The national teams took gold, silver and bronze in the event, repeating the podium placement of the previous edition, held in 2023, and took advantage of the continental pathway to qualify for the biggest tournament of the 2027 season.

Already guaranteed in the World Cup, Americans and Canadians starred in a nerve-wracking gold medal match in Moncton, which saw the United States avoid a reverse sweep from their rivals to prevail 3-2 (25-19, 26-24, 25-27, 17-25, 15-13) and claim the title for the 11th time.

Matt Anderson and Jake Hanes carried the American offense in the final, scoring 18 points each - the veteran Olympic medalist registered 17 kills and one ace, while the up-and-coming opposite produced 15 kills, two blocks and one ace.

Canadian opposite Xander Ketrzynski was the gold medal match's top scorer with an impressive 26-point output, achieved with 25 kills and one block.

NORCECA Men's Volleyball Continental Championship: Results

A few hours earlier, Cuba secured the third and last spot at the World Cup by overcoming the Dominican Republic in straight sets (25-22, 25-19, 26-24) in the bronze medal match.

Olympic berth still in play

The most coveted prize available this week in Moncton, the spot at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, will be contested between Friday and Saturday in the Canadian city.

The four best teams in the NORCECA Championship earned the right to play in a two-day tournament to determine who will take the berth in LA 2028, but with the United States already qualified as the host country, Mexico will also be in the mix after finishing fifth thanks to a 3-0 (26-24, 33-31, 25-16) win over Puerto Rico.

The semifinals will be held on Friday, and the two winners will return to the court on Saturday to face off in the match that will award the winning side a place at the next Olympics.

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