Text by BWF
Canada retained their men’s and women’s team titles at the Pan Am M&F Cup 2026 beating USA in both finals in Guatemala City on Sunday.
It was Canada’s depth in women’s singles that helped them edge USA 3-2 in a hard-fought tie. Much hinged on the opening contest between familiar rivals Michelle Li and Beiwen Zhang; a 51-minute thriller ended 21-19 in the third for Li.
USA levelled in the doubles through Lauren Lam/Allison Quynh Lee before Wen Yu Zhang put Canada ahead again beating Ella Lin in yet another tight contest that finished 21-19 in the third.
In-form pair Francesca Corbett/Jennie Gai took the contest into the fifth match as they overwhelmed Jackie Dent/Josephine Wu in just 30 minutes, 21-16 21-10.
It was down to the fifth match, with Canada’s Rachel Chan against USA’s Audrey Chang. Chan did not let the pressure affect her as she cruised through 21-13 21-10 to help Canada defend their title.
“I’m really happy with my performance today, and I’m happy that I could secure the fifth point for our team to win,” said Chan.
“It was a really special moment because two years ago when I played, I also won the point, but it wasn’t as special because they didn’t run on. But this time they celebrated, and everyone celebrated together, so it was really special for me this time.
“This week meant a lot to me because everyone was cheering for each other, and it was a really good time.”
For USA’s Allison Lee, the final was “bittersweet” as the team had displayed great spriit to push Canada all the way.
“I feel bittersweet because we didn’t win the gold medal, but I think this year our team had a lot of spirit and we had a really young team too, so I’m proud of them and I’m proud of what we were able to finish,” said Lee.
“We keep going. There’s nothing else you can do besides trying your best and having fun.”
The two countries also faced off in the men’s team final. Victor Lai expectedly gave Canada the lead, and although USA bounced back through Chen Zhi Yi/Presley Smith, Canada had too much depth for their opponents. Brian Yang outplayed Garret Tan in 55 minutes to make it 2-1, before Kevin Lee/Nyl Yakura sealed the tie beating Arden Quan Lee/Joshua Yang 21-8 21-19.
For Yakura, the win marked a special moment.
“For me personally, it was different because it’s potentially my last one,” said Yakura. “I think I might be retiring later this year, so it’s nice to go out on my last Pan Am team event and get a win. And also to be a part of it, to be able to play and get the winning point. So I’m really proud of the team for stepping up when we needed to, and yeah, just happy to go to another finals.
“I’m really happy because I think the team we have this year is quite fun. It’s a little bit young, but we’re trying to help them learn and grow so that they can continue on later when some of the older ones are finished, like myself. So yeah, it’s a nice mix of young and older players.”
