See main article: Triathlon at the 2011 Pan American Games. There will be a quota of 70 athletes (40 men and 30 women). Each NOC is allowed to enter a maximum of 3 men and 3 women. The hosts Mexico is guaranteed 6 spots, either through qualifying or through a guaranteed host nation place. An athlete does not qualify through this system, rather he/she qualifies a spot for their nation, an athlete may not qualify more than 1 quota spot.[1]
The following is a list of qualified athletes:[2]
| Event | Location | Vacancies | Qualified | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games | Mayagüez | | ||
| 2010 South American Games |  Medellín | |||
| 2011 South American Triathlon Championship [3] | ||||
| 2011 Central American and Caribbean Triathlon Championship | ||||
| ITU Ranking list on June 30, 2011 Positions 1-55. | | |||
| ITU Ranking completed by PATCO ranking | | |||
| PATCO Ranking list on June 30, 2011 Positions 1-125 | | |||
| Host Nation spots | | |||
| Invitational | | |||
| TOTAL | 39 |
Mexico qualified athletes through other routes, so its automatic spots have been given to other countries.
Countries that are marked with a strike have withdrawn and there quota spot put in the wildcard pool.
The following is a list of qualified athletes:[4]
| Event | Location | Vacancies | Qualified | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayagüez | | |||
| 2010 South American Games | Medellín | | ||
| 2011 South American Triathlon Championship[5] | ||||
| 2011 Central American and Caribbean Triathlon Championship | ||||
| ITU Ranking list on June 30, 2011 Positions 1-55. | ||||
| ITU Ranking completed by PATCO ranking | ||||
| PATCO Ranking list on June 30, 2011 Positions 1-125 | | |||
| Host Nation spots | | |||
| Invitational | | |||
| TOTAL | 28 |
Mexico qualified athletes through other routes, so its automatic spots have been given to other countries.