The International Basketball Federation -FIBA- spread its 3×3 competitions across four cities and two circuits during the weekend from 31 July to 2 August. Ub won the Challenger in Athens, Liman prevailed in Darkhan, Lausanne took the title in Hanchuan and the Netherlands won the Women’s Series stop in Tokyo. The three men’s tournaments awarded nine places at future FIBA 3×3 World Tour stops, while the women’s event offered points towards qualification for the Final in Shanghai.
Athens, Darkhan and Hanchuan all made their Challenger debuts, occupying the 13th, 14th and 15th positions on the 2026 calendar. FIBA used three contrasting settings: the Panathenaic Stadium, associated with the first modern Olympic Games in 1896; the Darkhan United Arena, located in one of the countries where 3×3 has developed a particularly strong following; and the Tianyu Lake Scenic Area, which brought the circuit into a natural setting. Tokyo completed the programme with 16 teams competing in the second arena of the Yoyogi complex.
Three new destinations on the Pro Circuit
Ub became the first Athens Challenger champion after defeating Amsterdam RABOBANK 18-15. Fuengirola finished third and secured the last of the three World Tour places available in the Greek capital. The Serbian team strengthened its position among the season’s leading sides and claimed its third Challenger title of 2026, following previous victories in Cáceres and Novi Sad. Strahinja Stojacic was named MVP as the circuit staged an event inside one of the most historic venues in Olympic sport.
The competition then moved to Darkhan, where Liman completed five victories and defeated Chinese side DeQing 21-14. Toronto finished third and joined both finalists in qualifying for the World Tour. It was Liman’s first Challenger title of 2026, although the team had already won World Tour stops in Utsunomiya and Ulaanbaatar, becoming the first side to claim two victories on the main circuit this season. Stefan Milivojevic, who also played a leading role in the success achieved in the Mongolian capital, received the MVP award in Darkhan.
Lausanne completes the nine qualifiers
Hanchuan concluded the series of inaugural events with Lausanne’s first Challenger title of 2026. The Swiss team defeated Skyliners 22-14 in the Final beside Tianyu Lake, while Taipei WanBao finished third. Natan Jurkovitz was named MVP and Jonathan Kazadi led Lausanne in scoring. The result added a different champion after Ub and Antwerp had each accumulated three Challenger titles during the season, and gave the Swiss side its first victory at this level of the Pro Circuit in 2026.
The three tournaments qualified Ub, Amsterdam RABOBANK, Fuengirola, Liman, DeQing, Toronto, Lausanne, Skyliners and Taipei WanBao. The nine places went to teams associated with eight countries or territories: Serbia supplied two qualifiers, while the Netherlands, Spain, China, Canada, Switzerland, Germany and Chinese Taipei were represented by one each. FIBA has not yet confirmed the specific World Tour stops to which the places will be assigned. The distribution illustrates how the Challenger system connects local events with the World Tour and provides access to the main circuit through results achieved in different regions.
Tokyo keeps the race to Shanghai open
The Women’s Series followed a different model by bringing together national teams, under-25 selections and private teams. Its 16 participants represented 12 countries or territories, with particularly broad participation from Asia and Europe. The Netherlands completed an unbeaten tournament and defeated Mitsubishi Electric 21-16 as the Japanese team reached its first Final of the season in front of a home crowd. Japan finished third and Beijing placed fourth. Ilse Kuijt, who scored 41 points during the event, was named MVP. It was the Netherlands’ third title of 2026 after previous victories in Amsterdam and Batam, making them the first participant to reach that total this season.
The calendar will continue on 8 and 9 August with Challengers in Uenohara, Japan, and at FISE Birmingham in the United States, where further World Tour places will be awarded. The Women’s Series will move to Bucharest, Romania, on the same dates, offering more points in the race to the Project Redwings Shanghai Final. The women’s season finale is scheduled for 5 and 6 September, while the teams that qualified through Athens, Darkhan and Hanchuan must wait for FIBA to confirm their assigned World Tour stops.
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