Ub, from Serbia, won the inaugural Madrid Challenger FIBA 3×3 by defeating Germany’s Baskets Bonn 17-13 in the final on October 4 at the Amaya Valdemoro Pavilion in Alcobendas, in the Madrid region. The Serbian team secured their fifth Challenger title of the season, while Dejan Majstorovic was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player -MVP-. The event brought this category of the professional circuit to a venue that had already hosted games at the 2012 U18 World Championships, when rain forced part of that tournament indoors.
Held on October 3-4, the tournament was the season’s 26th Challenger and offered three qualification places for the World Tour Manama event in Bahrain. Within the International Basketball Federation -FIBA- competition structure, Challengers are qualifying events on the professional men’s circuit, providing access to designated stops on the World Tour, its highest tier. Ub’s victory and the qualification of two other teams therefore connect the new Madrid event to an international calendar in which each Challenger awards places for a specific tournament.
A venue that previously hosted the World Championships
Alcobendas already had experience of hosting international 3×3 competition. In September 2012, it staged the second edition of the U18 World Championships, bringing together 224 players across 56 teams from 40 countries. That championship concluded FIBA 3×3’s first full season of elite competition, comprising nine official events across the World Tour, World Championships and university competition. The José Caballero Sports Centre, which includes the Amaya Valdemoro Pavilion, provided both outdoor and indoor facilities for the tournament.
That combination proved crucial when rain affected the first two days of the World Championships. Organisers moved games to the indoor courts, including the Amaya Valdemoro Pavilion, before returning outdoors for Sunday’s finals. Pablo Cabello, who oversaw local organisation for the Spanish Basketball Federation -FEB-, explained at the time: “When we had to go to plan B, we had the indoor courts right there close to the outdoor venue.” Fourteen years before hosting professional teams at the Challenger, the pavilion had formed part of the contingency plan that kept the competition running.
From Las Ventas to the professional circuit
Madrid also featured in the inaugural World Tour season in 2012. On September 7-8, fifteen teams competed outside the Las Ventas bullring for two places at the Miami final. Madrid’s wildcard team brought together Iván Corrales, Roger Esteller, Iñaki de Miguel and Roberto Núñez, all with backgrounds in professional five-on-five basketball. Jorge Garbajosa chaired the dunk contest jury. That earlier event places the Madrid Challenger’s debut within a relationship with FIBA 3×3 that began during the international circuit’s formative years.
The 2026 edition brought together 16 teams from Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa, with Fuengirola and Barcelona representing Spain. The format included a six-team qualifying draw, split into two groups, to complete the main draw. Barcelona entered through that route, in a group alongside Bordeaux and San Salvador, before reaching the semi-finals. The field included teams with Challenger titles this season and others with World Tour victories, including Ub, Baskets Bonn and Liman, bringing teams from different positions within the professional circuit into the same qualifying event.
Three places at World Tour Manama
Ub finished unbeaten across five games, reaching the final after defeating Skyliners 21-9 in the semi-finals. Against Baskets Bonn, all four players contributed at least four points, with Majstorovic scoring five. The tournament MVP finished with 31 points and ten two-pointers, the highest total in that category. Baskets Bonn’s Fabian Giessmann led the overall scoring with 39 points, as the German team added another final appearance to a season already featuring three World Tour wins and three Challenger victories.
The Manama places went to Ub, Baskets Bonn and Barcelona, despite the Spanish team finishing fourth in the final standings. According to FIBA, the tournament’s qualification allocation rules allowed only one German team to qualify directly from Madrid. Baskets Bonn took that place, leaving third-placed Skyliners outside the allocation. Barcelona received the third available World Tour berth after losing their semi-final to Baskets Bonn 21-18.
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