The 3×3 basketball ecosystem of the International Basketball Federation -FIBA- closed 2025 with its strongest figures to date in media value, television reach and digital community, in a sign of growth that is no longer driven only by social conversation, but by a broader ecosystem of broadcasters, sponsors, organisers and host cities. FIBA itself estimated the total media value generated for sponsors at between USD 220 million and USD 290 million, driven by exposure on social media, earned media coverage and television visibility.

That leap is also reflected in the product’s international distribution. 3×3 competitions were broadcast in 234 territories during 2025, and the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2025 recorded 48% more linear television coverage than the 2023 edition, reaching a new high of 418 broadcast hours. For Alex Sanchez, managing director of FIBA 3×3, these figures confirm “the best year so far” for the discipline and reinforce the goal of continuing to expand its global footprint in 2026. The federation also stressed that national-team competitions remained one of the main digital drivers of the product, with the World Cup 2025 acting as the major point of traction.

Record media value and an ever-expanding digital community

The most visible acceleration has come in the digital space. The global FIBA 3×3 community passed 10 million followers for the first time in 2025, with year-on-year growth of 20%. Added to that were 1.5 billion impressions, 1.1 billion video views and 118 million engagements, figures that place 3×3 in a far larger global consumption category than that of a secondary discipline within basketball.

The profile of that audience helps explain part of the product’s appeal. Approximately 70% of the 3×3 community falls within the 13-34 age bracket, a particularly relevant figure for a discipline that FIBA continues to present as urban, fast and closely connected to youth culture. That combination of high digital consumption and a young audience is one of the foundations on which its recent growth has been built.

More tournaments and more cities

The growth has not remained confined to screens. During 2025, the circuit included 17 stops on the FIBA 3×3 World Tour, 19 Challengers and 15 events on the Women’s Series, in addition to the importance of the World Cup, continental and youth competitions, and the new FIBA 3×3 Champions Cup, which added another elite event to the annual calendar.

The 2026 roadmap points to further expansion. On the men’s circuit, 14 World Tour stops have already been announced, plus the Final in December, while the updated Challengers calendar already lists 22 events, above the 19 staged in 2025. That expansion also stretches across several regions at once, with new stops spread across Europe, Asia and the Americas, strengthening the competitive network and the connection between the different levels of the professional circuit. That map also includes the return of the World Tour to Spain for the first time since Madrid 2012, now with a stop in Malaga.

The Women’s Series and the expansion of the global map

The women’s circuit reflects that consolidation as well. Since its launch in 2019, when it began with 14 events and an inaugural stop in Chengdu, the Women’s Series has steadily expanded its reach to more than 20 host cities planned for 2026. With the cities already announced, the calendar now includes more than 20 stops, from Chengdu, Manila and Shanghai to Vienna, Amsterdam, Ulaanbaatar, Marbella, Tokyo, Bangkok, Bordeaux and Debrecen, with further additions expected in the coming weeks.

That growth is not measured only by quantity, but also by organisational stability. Shanghai has been confirmed as host of the Women’s Series Final from 2025 to 2028, and the 2026 season will again begin in Chengdu before closing with the Project Redwings Shanghai Final. In recent seasons, the circuit had already reached record figures, such as in 2023, when it featured 23 international events and distributed more than USD 1 million in prize money.