The International Basketball Federation -FIBA- brought its professional circuit to Dubai for the first time this weekend under an agreement securing World Tour events in the city through 2028. The competition, held on 6–7 November, coincided with the final Challenger of the season in Salvador, Brazil, and the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games tournament, which welcomed International Olympic Committee -IOC- President Kirsty Coventry. The three events highlighted different aspects of 3×3’s development: long-term partnerships with cities, access to professional competition and opportunities for young national teams.
On the court, Serbia’s Ub won the inaugural Dubai title, beating Germany’s Baskets Bonn 20–19 in the final. It was their fourth World Tour title of the season, following victories in Chengdu, Marseille and Macau. Strahinja Stojacic earned his second tournament MVP award of the campaign, while Croatia’s Cibona Ph.Classic finished third and Amsterdam Rabobank, from the Netherlands, placed fourth. The host team reached the quarter-finals and finished eighth among the fourteen participants.
A partnership through 2028 with school sport involved
The event at Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City, is part of a three-year partnership between FIBA and the Dubai Sports Council, working alongside the UAE Basketball Association. The project supports the city’s sports strategy through 2033, which identifies basketball as a priority discipline. “Our priority was to ensure this global spectacle leaves a lasting community legacy that begins in our schools,” said Eisa Sharif Al Marzouqi, the council’s Director of Sports Events. The programme included school visits by Amsterdam players and the Dubai Schools Games 3×3 finals on the international tournament’s court.
The purpose-built venue was accompanied by a fan zone featuring music, art activities, food stalls and event merchandise. Admission was free with advance registration, while Piotr Grabowski and Adris De Leon won the slam dunk and two-point shooting contests respectively. Dubai Sports served as host broadcaster, with eighteen other broadcast partners providing coverage across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific, alongside Unbeaten and FIBA 3×3’s YouTube channel. That distribution supported an event combining competition, entertainment and opportunities for spectators to get close to the players.
Salvador connects the circuit with urban culture
In Salvador, the season’s final Challenger took place on 7–8 November at the Parque de Exposições during AFROPUNK, the festival celebrating Black and urban culture. Staging the competition alongside the festival placed international basketball within an established cultural event with its own audiences and activities. Salvador hosted the twenty-eighth Challenger of the season, part of the professional circuit that offers qualification places for World Tour events and main-draw wins that also count towards reaching the season finale.
Japan’s Shibuya claimed their second Challenger title of the year, defeating Serbia’s Uzice Zlatiborac 22–13, with Zigmars Raimo named tournament MVP. Both teams qualified for the World Tour stop in Hong Kong, alongside fourth-placed Valencia Basket. The Spanish side received the third available berth because Princeton, who finished third, had already qualified through 3X SHOWCASE – STOP 2. The outcome illustrates how the competitions connect: the Brazilian Challenger awarded the final places available through that circuit for a World Tour event that can still influence qualification for the Rio de Janeiro Final.
Coventry visits 3×3 in Dakar
In Dakar, Kirsty Coventry’s visit to the Tour de l’Œuf Complex brought institutional attention to the youth tournament. The IOC President was accompanied by Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi and Sports Director Pierre Ducrey. They were welcomed by FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis; Carmen Tocala, a FIBA Executive Committee member and Chair of its 3×3 Commission; and Sonja Greinacher, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion serving as an Athlete Role Model at the Games. “I love 3×3. I think it’s a lot of fun, it’s super quick,” Coventry said. She described the atmosphere as “electric”, noting that people outside the venue were trying to get in.
The competition features twenty-four national teams, twelve in each tournament, with Senegal, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Egypt representing Africa. Preparations included an October training camp designed to develop African players, coaches and 3×3 coordinators. Kenya’s Brenda Ochieng highlighted what she had learned about communication, discipline and quick decision-making, while Algeria’s Anes Hadjoudj emphasised improvements in playing tempo and team cohesion. “The enthusiasm of the local community reflects the sport’s growing connection with fans across the world,” Zagklis said of the Senegalese crowd’s response.
From youth development to the Rio Final
Previous editions illustrate the different paths players can take after the youth tournament. Hailey Van Lith, a gold medallist at Buenos Aires 2018, won Olympic 3×3 bronze with the United States in Paris; her teammates Paige Bueckers and Aliyah Boston subsequently built careers in the WNBA. In Dakar, meeting Coventry added another experience for the participants. “It’s an experience that I don’t have in another tournament, and I’m so grateful. For me, this is a motivation for the next games,” said Chile’s Constanza Belén Mella Reyes. The semi-finals and medal games are scheduled for 9 November.
The professional calendar continues with Zaisan, in Ulaanbaatar, on 14–15 November; Manama on 20–21 November; and Hong Kong on 28–29 November. The Rio Final, scheduled for 12–13 December, will feature fourteen teams: the top ten in the World Tour standings, three additional teams qualifying through professional circuit main-draw wins, and a local organising committee wildcard. The highest-ranked of those three additional qualifiers will enter the main draw directly; the other two will contest the qualifying draw alongside the local wildcard. Hong Kong will complete the qualification process before the season finale in Brazil.
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