Team Canada Takes Down Team USA in FIBA U18 AmeriCup Title Game

Multiple 2027 draft prospects and other coveted recruits were on display in the gold medal game.

Sunnyslope Vikings forward Darius Wabbington (21) is introduced before playing the Millennium Tigers at Sunnyslope High School on Jan. 21, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2026 NBA Draft is rapidly approaching, but the next wave of prospects were on display at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup.

This year, León, Mexico, hosted the event, which featured national teams from the United States, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Canada, Dominican Republic, Brazil and Mexico. Teams are comprised of players 18-years-old and younger from the aforementioned nations.

The 2026 FIBA U18 AmeriCup served as a qualifier for the 2027 FIBA U19 World Cup.

In 2024, Team USA won the U18 AmeriCup, beating Argentina in the title game. That year, the American squad featured Darius Acuff Jr., Morez Johnson Jr., Jeremiah Fears and other notable names.

This year's event wrapped up on Sunday, June 7, with Canada winning 67-65 in the title game against a USA squad that features multiple five-star prospects.

For Team Canada, IMG Academy guard Javion Tyndale led all scorers with 19 points, adding 8 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals while shooting 6-of-19 from the field, 2-of-7 from 3-point range and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

Listed at 5-foot-8, Tyndale, a 2027 prospect, holds offers from West Virginia, East Carolina and St. Bonaventure, according to 247Sports.

Fellow 2027 prospect Deng Ngor also had a strong showing for Team Canada, tallying 15 points, 2 rebounds, an assist and 3 steals while shooting 5-of-8 from the field, 2-of-2 from beyond the arc and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.

Ngor made multiple important plays late in the game, scoring the contest's last five points, including a game-tying triple and the game-winning dunk in transition. Listed at 6-foot-7, Ngor holds an offer from Georgia Tech, according to 247Sports.

Incoming Duke freshman Maxime Meyer finished with just five points for Team Canada, but still had an impressive outing. The 7-foot-1 four-star recruit notched 6 rebounds, an assist, 5 steals and 3 blocks while shooting 1-of-3 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.

Meyer displayed solid interior defense and rim protection, helping Canada hold Team USA to a 43.2% field goal percentage on shots inside the arc.

For the United States, Darius Wabbington notched a team-high 11 points, adding 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals while shooting 4-of-11 from the field, 1-of-4 from deep and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.

Wabbington, listed at 6-foot-11 and 245 pounds, attends Sunnyslope High School in Arizona and is rated the No. 17 overall prospect and No. 3 center in the 2027 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

The only player to take shoot better than 50% from the field while taking more than four shots for Team USA was incoming BYU freshman Bruce Branch III.

Branch, the No. 6 overall player and No. 2 small forward in the 2026 cycle per 247Sports and a potential lottery pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. The Cougars' signee shot 3-of-5 from the field and 0-of-2 from 3-point range.