The 2025 AmeriCup, the men’s basketball Copa América, tips off this Friday in Nicaragua, marking the most significant international sporting event in the country’s history. Twelve national teams are competing, led by the United States, a perennial favorite, in a tournament set against the backdrop of tense relations between Washington and Managua.
Nicaragua, governed by President Daniel Ortega and his wife and co-president Rosario Murillo, faces sanctions from the U.S. and the European Union for its authoritarian drift. Despite these tensions, Managua secured the rights to host the 20th edition of the AmeriCup, which will feature three groups of four teams each. The top two from each group, plus the two best third-place teams, will advance to the quarterfinals.
Argentina, champion of the last edition held in Recife, Brazil, in 2022, opens against host Nicaragua on Friday. In Group C’s other match, Colombia will face the Dominican Republic. The Argentines arrive with a refreshed roster led by forward Nicolás Brussino, a standout with Spain’s Gran Canaria, as they look to recover prestige after missing both the recent World Cup and the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Group B also begins Friday, with Panama playing Puerto Rico and Venezuela meeting Canada. Canadian power forward Thomas Kennedy acknowledged the challenge ahead: “There are very good teams, but we trust in our abilities. We just have to be humble and work hard.”
The United States begins its campaign Saturday against the Bahamas in Group A. While the U.S. roster doesn’t include NBA superstars, veterans Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant bring NBA experience, and coach Stephen Silas made the team’s goals clear: “We’ve come here to play our best basketball, and that means winning.” Also in Group A, Brazil will take on Uruguay, featuring former NBA center Bruno Caboclo and a roster led by Aleksandar Petrovic.
All games will be played at the Alexis Argüello Sports Complex in Managua, which seats 8,000 spectators. The final and third-place match are scheduled for Sunday, August 31. The United States has won seven of the previous 19 AmeriCup titles, followed by Brazil with four, and Argentina and Puerto Rico with three each.
Puerto Rico’s coach Carlos González summed up his team’s approach: “With what we have, we’re going to give our best. Some players bring Olympic experience, while others are stepping up for the first time.”
The tournament is also unfolding against a diplomatic backdrop. The U.S. State Department recently added Nicaragua to its list of countries with a “high risk of unjust and arbitrary detention” for American citizens, alongside Venezuela, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Eritrea.
Seeking to emphasize the event’s importance, Ortega and Murillo sent their son, Maurice Ortega Murillo, to a ceremony with the national team. There he presented players not only with Nicaragua’s blue-and-white flag but also with the red-and-black banner of the ruling Sandinista Front.
