The absence of Molinar, a key figure in the recent AmeriCup qualifiers, poses a significant challenge for Argentina's head coach Gonzalo García, who now leads the Panamanian team.
"We regret to inform that Iverson Molinar will be out for the first window of the Basketball World Cup qualifiers due to medical reasons and recommendations from his club," the Panamanian Basketball Federation (Fepaba) stated in a press release.
García began training on Monday with a nearly full squad and assured that the team arrives "with renewed energy and a new illusion, which is to try to qualify for the World Cup".
The Panamanian national team is preparing to face Uruguay this Thursday to kick off the qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar, with the significant absence of their main player, the guard Iverson Molinar.
In a video posted by Fepaba, Molinar expressed his regret at not being able to join the national team.
"Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in this window, as the doctors from my team recommended that I stay and recover from an injury I'm suffering," said Molinar, who plays for U-Banca Transilvania in Romania.
Despite the absence of the Panamanian guard, the coach declared himself "satisfied with the roster" and highlighted that all the called-up players "are in their best moment, which is what we need to compete" in a "quite long" qualifying tournament.
