By William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Oct. 2, 2025
Belize won its 4th Pok-ta-pok World Cup championship, as the K’iinich Ahau men of Yo Creek won the 6th Mundo Maya Pok-ta-pok World Cup of the Mayan ancestral ball game held at the Escuela Mayatan Court in the Copan Ruins of Honduras, from Thursday to Sunday, September 25-28.
In the finals, the K’iinich Ahau men: Abner Sosa, Jonathan Sosa, Angel Suchite, Daniel Flota, Elias Cantun, Alan Gomez and Jadiel Cantun dominated the Mexico selection, 56-25, to take home the championship trophy. The K’iinich Ahau men had debuted with a 139-0 win over El Salvador last Friday.
The 3-times World Cup champions, the Еk’ Ваlаm men of Yo Creek: Didier Novelo, Betuel and Nadir Magaña, Franz and Menalio Novelo, Jr, and Moises Lopez won the consolation match for 3rd place. Ek’ Balam had debuted with a 43-36 win over Guatemala on Friday afternoon; but lost their 2nd match, 36-57, to the Mexican champions. They had also won 3rd place when Belize hosted the World Cup for the first time in 2023.
Seven teams contested the female tournament, and Guatemala’s I’xk’at girls successfully defended their title to repeat as champions, while Belize’s K’iinich Ahau Ahau girls: Naila Cocom, Emily Vasquez, Jazline Rivera, Daniela Chuc, Gema and Marisa Cocom of Yo Creek took 2nd place, improving on their 3rd place win in the first ever female Pok-ta-pok World Cup held in Orange Walk in 2023.
The tournament featured 12 male teams and 7 female teams, with over 200 athletes from Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and the United States.
