FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League

KOROR (Palau) – The inaugural FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League – Oceania officially tips off today. This landmark event marks a significant step forward for youth FIBA 3×3 basketball in the region, offering a direct pathway to international competition.

Twelve nations from across the Oceania region will be battling it out in both men’s and women’s categories. Participating nations are Fiji, Guam, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

How to Watch & Follow

Basketball fans can catch the action live with games to be streamed on the official FIBA3x3 YouTube channel.

To stay up to date with schedules, results, and news, follow the official FIBA 3×3 event websites, and Palau Basketball Federation social media channels.

Competition Format

The FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League – Oceania is integrated within the Pacific Mini Games, providing a unique and exciting multi-sport experience. The competition will run in a ‘stops’ format, with multiple events (stops) held over the course of the weeklong event. Teams will accumulate points based on their performance in each stop.

Qualification Pathways

The FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League – Oceania serves as a dual qualifier for two major international events:

1. FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup:

   The champion team per gender at the FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League – Oceania, will earn direct qualification to the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup.

2. Commonwealth Games:

   The FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League – Oceania, also plays a crucial role in determining a portion of Oceania’s representation at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. The highest-placed Commonwealth country at the event will secure direct qualification.

Key Matchups to Watch

Based on the strong performances at the Pacific Games 2023, and the FIBA 3×3 Oceania High Performance Camp 2024, several nations will be looking to assert their dominance and provide thrilling matchups:

Men’s Competition

• Guam vs. Fiji:

  At the Pacific Games 2023, Fiji upset the traditionally dominant Guam in a thrilling Gold Medal match (19-18). This rivalry is set to reignite, with both teams eager to prove their mettle and secure vital ranking points. Fiji attended the FIBA 3×3 Oceania High Performance Camp in 2024 with the men’s contingent developing significantly.

• Palau:

  As the host nation, Palau will be eager to impress on home soil. They showed competitive spirit at the Pacific Games, defeating Guam in the pool phase and pushing Fiji. They will be looking to challenge the established powerhouses on the back of their development opportunities at the FIBA 3×3 Oceania High Performance Camp last year.

Women’s Competition:

• Samoa vs. Fiji:

  Fiji defeated Samoa for the bronze medal at the Pacific Games 2023. Samoa will be looking to reverse that result and demonstrate their growth in the 3×3 format, and secure that ticket to the Commonwealth Games. Both teams also improved significantly at the FIBA 3×3 Oceania High Performance Camp in 2024

• Tahiti:

  The Gold Medallists from the FIBA 3×3 Pacific Games 2023, the women from Tahiti will head into the event as firm favourites with recent competition experience at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup set to boost their confidence.

The inaugural FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League – Oceania promises to be an electric event, showcasing the rising talent of the region and providing invaluable opportunities for young athletes in the region to compete at the highest levels.

About FIBA 3×3

Exciting, urban and innovative, 3×3 is inspired by several forms of streetball played worldwide and is considered the world’s number one urban team sport. Steered by FIBA, games see two teams of three players face off on a basketball half-court.

It was played successfully for the first time in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and since then has benefited from the launch of a yearly professional circuit for men and women (World Tour and Women’s Series respectively) and national-team competitions. 3×3 made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

For further information about 3×3, visit fiba3x3.basketball, FIBA 3×3 accounts on Douyin, Facebook, Instagram, Sina Weibo, Tencent, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter, Youku and YouTube or contact 3×3@fiba.basketball.