The international FIBA 3×3 season begins with two milestones that set the tone for the year from both a competitive and a development perspective. On the one hand, the return of the FIBA 3×3 Champions Cup to Bangkok in March 2026, as the first major national team event on the international calendar. On the other, the recent staging of a FIBA 3×3 Youth Training Camp in the Caribbean, focused on the development of players, coaches, referees and federation officials.
Both initiatives, led by FIBA, reflect the start of the 3×3 season across two distinct areas: elite national team competition and structured work with national federations aimed at strengthening the implementation and growth of the discipline in strategic regions.
Qualification places at stake for the champions
Following its debut in 2025, the FIBA 3×3 Champions Cup will hold its second edition from 13 to 15 March 2026 in Bangkok, consolidating its position as one of the first international tournaments of the year on the 3×3 calendar. The competition is exclusively contested by national teams and is designed as a high-intensity event at the start of the season.
The tournament will once again feature eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams. Qualification is based on specific sporting criteria, including world champions, continental champions, top-ranked nations and the host country. In addition to the title, the champions in each category will secure direct qualification to the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2027, the FIBA 3×3 Champions Cup 2027 and the Cups-based Olympic Qualification Tournament in 2028.
A line-up bringing together the world’s 3×3 elite
In the men’s competition, Spain will compete as reigning world champions, alongside Serbia as defending Champions Cup holders, Madagascar as African champions, Lithuania as European champions, the United States as AmeriCup champions, Australia as Asian champions, the Netherlands through the international ranking, and Thailand as host nation.
The women’s field will include Thailand, Canada as defending champions, the Netherlands following their world title, as well as Madagascar (Africa), the United States (AmeriCup), Azerbaijan as European runners-up, Australia as Asian champions and Spain through the international ranking.
Development activity in the Caribbean at the start of the season
Alongside the launch of the competitive calendar, FIBA organised a FIBA 3×3 Youth Training Camp in December in Nassau, as part of the FIBA Plus programme and with the support of Olympic Solidarity. The initiative forms part of a regional development project aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of Caribbean national federations in the 3×3 discipline.
The camp brought together delegations from Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Jamaica and Saint Lucia. The programme combined technical and tactical on-court sessions for under-23 players, methodological training for coaches, referee clinics focused on the practical application of 3×3 rules, and seminars for federation officials covering governance, planning and sustainable development, alongside a regional competition and a local under-15 component designed to create a lasting legacy in the host country.
