Cuba secured place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games with a 3-1 victory over Canada in the NORCECA men’s qualification tournament in Moncton, Canada.
Playing at the Avenir Centre, Cuba took control early by winning the opening two sets 25-21 and 25-23. Canada responded in front of their home crowd, claiming a tight third set 25-23 to keep the contest alive.
The fourth set remained finely balanced, with Stephen Maar bringing Canada level at 21-21. Cuba, however, delivered when it mattered most, taking four of the next five points to close out the match 25-22 and secure the Olympic berth.
Marlon Yant led all scorers with 25 points for Cuba, while Miguel Lopez contributed 22 and Alejandro Gonzalez added 14. Robertlandy Simon finished with nine points.
Maar paced Canada with 22 points, with Eric Loeppky adding 14. Canada held an 8-6 advantage in blocks, but Cubans were stronger in attack, 62-57, and produced nine aces to Canada’s three.
The victory sends Cuba back to the Olympic stage for the first time since Rio 2016.
“This is the best sensation in the world to have an Olympic Games. We didn’t have the last Olympics, now we have the ticket for Los Angeles.” – Jesús Cruz López, Cuba coach
“It’s amazing because it’s been a lot of years we’ve tried for this. I’m really happy for me and for my team. Everybody knows how far we’ve come through difficult times, but we are here with a positive mentality and we did everything to make the Olympic Games. We are really happy and this is a fantastic moment right now.” – Robertlandy Simon
Result: Cuba def. Canada 3-1 (25-21, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22)
