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Canada pulls off major upset over USA in international basketball

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
|
Jun 8 2026, 4:45 pm
Canada pulls off major upset over USA in international basketball
FIBA

It’s been a mixed bag for Canada in international sports this year, but the nation picked up a huge win in basketball over the weekend.

The FIBA U18 men’s AmeriCup was taking place in Mexico this past week, and Canada had itself an amazing tournament. A total of six countries from across North and South America were competing, including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Argentina.

Canada swept its three group-stage games and then demolished Puerto Rico 115-49 to advance to the gold medal game against a powerhouse USA team. The Americans had won the tournament for the past seven years, but that reign came to an end on Sunday night.

The Canadians put together a fantastic outing and wound up edging the United States 67-65 to capture the country’s first-ever gold medal at the men’s AmeriCup.

This was the first time that the Americans had not won the tournament since Argentina did so in 2008.

Things did not start off pretty for the Canadians, who allowed the USA to jump out to a 19-13 lead in the first quarter. However, Canada battled back to tie things up 35-35 late in the second quarter off a layup from Settimo Yugu.

The Americans then took back a 65-62 lead in the final two minutes of play, before Canada’s Deng Ngor knocked down a critical three-pointer to tie things up. Ngor then came up with the championship-winning dunk to seal things for Canada, as they shut out the United States for the last 1:27 of regulation.

Canada-FIBA copy

FIBA

Canada’s Javion Tyndale was named tournament MVP and led Canada with 19 points in the championship game.

Basketball seems to be on the rise in Canada. The country is ranked fifth overall in FIBA rankings, and Canadian players in the NBA are making some serious noise. Toronto native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the face of the NBA over the past two seasons, winning back-to-back MVP awards in 2025 and 2026.
The United States have ruled basketball for decades, but Canada could start being a problem for the Americans if they don’t watch out.
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