ANTWERP (Belgium) — The pool phase has delivered the first twists and turns of the FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup Crelan 2026. Now comes the part where every possession carries even more weight. With the Quarter-Finals looming in Antwerp, the teams still standing have little interest in looking too far ahead. The message coming from the players is remarkably consistent: recover, trust the work, stay together and be ready to raise the level when the knockout rounds begin.
For Lithuania, that mentality has been the foundation of their campaign. After getting past Ireland, Paulius Sorokas insisted the defending Europe Cup men’s champions are taking the tournament one game at a time. That mindset will be tested against top seeds Serbia in one of the biggest matchups of the Quarter-Finals.
“We focus on our own game,” Sorokas said. “Our goal will be to make things difficult for them and not allow easy scoring opportunities.”
For reigning FIBA 3×3 World Cup champions Latvia, meanwhile, they exactly what it takes to deliver under pressure. Kristaps Gludītis led all players in scoring through the first two days with 20 points, including a starring performance in Latvia’s comeback win over Lithuania. The numbers, though, mean little to him now.
“I don’t think too much about the numbers,” Gludītis said. “My role is simply to do whatever is needed to help the team win.”
That same team-first mentality is resonating across the competition. Spain’s Diego De Blas described his team’s approach in similarly simple terms after a perfect start. The renewed Spanish squad has been building chemistry through time together, but De Blas knows the process matters more than any early results.
“Game by game,” he said.
Germany’s Fabian Giessmann echoed that confidence after two wins on Day 1, pointing to the chemistry the team has built over time and the belief generated by winning their last two World Tour stops.
“We found a way to win both,” Giessmann said. “Now we focus on the Europe Cup title.”
For the women, the same focus is evident. Reigning champions Netherlands advanced behind another strong performance from Noortje Driessen, who knows the pressure will only increase from here.
“The stakes are high and there’s a lot of pressure,” Driessen said. “We know we’ll have to earn every result.”
Spain’s women have faced a different challenge. With longtime pillars Sandra Ygueravide and Vega Gimeno no longer on the court, Gracia Alonso de Armiño has taken on an even greater leadership role within a renewed Spanish group. Yet rather than viewing the changes as a weakness, she sees a team that has learned to share the responsibility.
“Everyone is valuable,” she said. “We all have our responsibilities and we all know that we are important for the team.”
That chemistry has been built over years of playing together on the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series, while the influence of Ygueravide and Gimeno remains part of the team’s foundation.
“We have a great coaching staff and we have a lot of experience together,” Alonso de Armiño said. “We trust each other, and we know what we have to do.”
Spain’s reward is a Quarter-Final against hosts Belgium, but Alonso de Armiño is not looking beyond that challenge.
“It’s always tough,” she said. “We have to be at our best.”
Azerbaijan are equally determined. After losing their opening game to the Netherlands, Alexandra Mollenhauer said the team regrouped, addressed what needed fixing and responded with a decisive win over Ukraine to reach the knockout stage. Now their objective is clear.
“We’re coming into this tournament with one clear goal: to win the title,” Mollenhauer said.
And then there is Serbia. The No.1 seeds remain unbeaten, but Strahinja Stojacic knows the margin for error has disappeared. Serbia face defending champions Lithuania in the Quarter-Finals, with just hours to recover and prepare.
“We have 20 hours to recover, rest and prepare properly,” Stojacic said.
That is the reality of knockout 3×3 basketball.
No more second chances. No more saving something for later.
As Stojacic put it, the FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup has reached a level where “every single game is tough.”
The pool phase established the contenders. Day 3 will decide who can handle the pressure, make the winning plays and lift the FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup Crelan 2026 banner.
Stay Connected
Follow all the latest action from the FIBA 3×3 Cups tournaments throughout the 2026 season by visiting the official FIBA 3×3 website, where you can find the latest news, star players and everything you need to know. Fans can also keep track of the Event Calendar and the latest FIBA 3×3 Individual and Federation Rankings as teams and players continue their push toward the season finale.
Want to learn more about 3×3 basketball? Explore the official FIBA 3×3 Rules to understand the unique fast-paced format of the game, or discover the FIBA 3×3 Competition Structure to see how the discipline’s global pathway connects grassroots events, professional tours and world-class international competitions.
FIBA
Source link
