Puerto Rican side Capitanes de Arecibo are making their Club World Championship debut as representatives of the NORCECA region. In their debut league season as a franchise, Capitanes de Arecibo were crowned champions of the Superior League by sweeping the Guaynabo Mets in the best-of-seven final series. The Capitanes’ victory over the Mets put them alongside Fajardo Cariduros as the only franchises to win the title in their first year. They added to that title success by finishing second the following season after losing 4-0 to Mets de Guaynabo. In the regular league season they had finished third in the standings with 17 wins from 24 matches.

In competing this year, the Caribbean side will become the fourth different Puerto Rican side to take part in the Club World Championship. Mets de Guaynabo competed in the 2014 edition in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and lost all three pool matches. Planteras de Corozal qualified in 2009 and suffered the same fate in Doha, Qatar. That was their island’s first representation since 1992 when the same team finished seventh. Changos de Naranjito took part in 1991, but finished eighth after consecutive defeats in the pool phase.