Argentina defeated Puerto Rico 89-75 at Polideportivo Islas Malvinas in Mar del Plata and opened the second round of the Americas Qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar with a victory. Pablo Prigioni's team turned a contest that remained balanced for twenty minutes into a win built through defence and a decisive acceleration during the third quarter.
The opening period demonstrated the difficulty of the assignment immediately. Argentina found enough scoring to establish a narrow lead and finished those ten minutes ahead 25-21, but Puerto Rico remained in contact. A four-point difference offered no room for management: every possession retained the tension of a game between national teams entering the new stage with direct qualification ambitions.
The second quarter reduced the distance even further. Puerto Rico took the period 21-18 and reached half-time only one point behind at 43-42. The balance reflected two offences capable of answering one another and required the hosts to reconsider their defensive control. Mar del Plata was following a game that still had no clear owner or sequence long enough to break it open.
The transformation arrived after the interval. Argentina raised its pressure, reduced the space available for Puerto Rico's outside shooting and won the third period 21-12. The score moved to 64-54, producing the first double-digit gap of the night. That passage became the sporting core of victory: Argentina stopped trading baskets and began imposing the terms under which the contest would be played.
Puerto Rico attempted to recover during the final quarter, but Argentina protected the lead and completed a 89-75 result. Managing the margin became as important as the earlier break because the team prevented a short sequence of makes from restoring uncertainty. Its defence supported the collective effort, while the offence located the points required to keep the visitors from constructing a comeback.
The outcome strengthens Argentina's campaign after a first round containing five victories and one defeat. Group F also includes Canada, Bahamas, Panama and Uruguay alongside Puerto Rico. The leading three sides will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the best fourth-placed team across the two groups completes the seven places available to the Americas. Every victory and scoring margin may matter when the round concludes.
Argentina now travel to Québec to face Canada on 31 August, another demanding test during Window 4. Puerto Rico visit Uruguay in Montevideo on the same day. The evening in Mar del Plata provided a tangible foundation: the hosts withstood first-half parity, found a defensive change after the interval and opened the decisive stretch of the road to Qatar with the result they required.
