While Team USA women’s basketball is usually considered in a league of its own, the 3×3 team has work ahead after losing in the finals of the 2026 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup. For those unfamiliar, this format launched half a decade ago, featuring a multi-stage tournament structure designed for rapid, high-stakes 3×3 basketball action. But the three-time gold medalists had to settle for second place for the second time since 2024 against the same opponent.

“The women take home silver,” USA Basketball 3×3 posted on X following Team USA’s 12-21 defeat against Canada in San Salvador.

Despite a strong tournament, Team USA fell short to the team they beat to win gold in last year’s AmeriCup. The American squad featured four players with WNBA experience: Aziaha James, Aerial Powers, Sydney Taylor, and debutant Flau’jae Johnson.

In 3×3, shots inside the arc are worth one point, and shots beyond it are worth two. James gave Team USA a flying start in the final, scoring three straight points to give her team a 3-1 lead. However, that momentum did not last long, as Canada answered with a 4-1 run of their own. While the Americans tried to hold their own, head coach Christina Batastini’s side fell to a 10-5 deficit. In the end, Canada dominated the paint through their sheer size advantage and limited Team USA to just 12 points. Powers was Team USA’s highest scorer with five points, while Johnson added four.

Apart from the rather underwhelming finals display, Team USA had positive outings in the AmeriCup. The Americans began their campaign with a 21-7 win over Colombia, with Taylor leading the way with 12 points. They followed up with a dominant 21-4 victory against the Cayman Islands. Johnson scored eight points, while Powers added six as Team USA easily finished first in Pool B.

However, the knockout stages offered a tougher test. The Americans faced Paraguay in the quarterfinals and had to work for their 21-18 victory. While James and Powers scored six points each, Taylor stepped up big time to score the final six points for Team USA, including the game-winning basket, to keep their title defense alive.

The semifinal against Cuba proved another challenging matchup. Although the Americans initially established a comfortable 6-1 lead, Cuba fought back and made the contest competitive. With the game at 17-15 thanks to a James two-pointer, Taylor once again took charge at the end. She scored a two-pointer of her own, and followed it with a reverse layup game-winner. The Chicago Sky guard scored 10 points and was added to the women’s team of the tournament alongside Canada’s Michelle Plouffe and Colombia’s Yuliany Paz.

Speaking of Plouffe, the 34-year-old was the heart of Canada and deservedly won women’s MVP. As the tournament’s standout performer, Plouffe led the competition in both player value (49.8) and total points (41). She also topped the charts in offensive rebounds (12) and one-pointers made (23), while finishing third in blocks with three. Her consistent scoring in the knockout rounds, including eight points in the Quarter-Final against Chile, 11 in the Semi-Final against Colombia, and nine more in the final, helped Canada successfully overcome the ghosts of their past in Team USA to win their third gold medal in the format, matching the Americans’ record.

“It was super fun to come out here with my teammates and give it our everything and play for something bigger than ourselves,” Plouffe said. Moreover, Canada’s
Paige Crozon believes the victory and recognition will provide them with a valuable boost as the team looks ahead to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

For next year, though, El Salvador will have another opportunity to host the continent’s best 3×3 talent following an eventful edition that saw Canada reclaiming their throne, Team USA falling back to silver, and Colombia securing its first-ever AmeriCup medal.

Canada’s women won gold and the men took silver at the FIBA 3X3 AmeriCup tournament in El Salvador on Sunday.

The women defeated the U.S. 21-12 in their final to avenge their loss to the Americans in the 2025 tournament.

“I’m very proud of the progress we made every single game,” said Canada’s Paige Crozon. “We’re taking strides towards L.A. in 2028.”

Canada’s Michelle Plouffe was named women’s MVP after leading all scorers in the tournament with 42 points.

“It was super fun to come out here with my teammates and give it our everything and play for something bigger than ourselves,” said Michelle Plouffe.

Canada’s men fell short against an American side in the final, losing 20-15, but the silver-medal finish is the best in the men’s program’s history in the AmeriCup.

“It feels awesome winning silver, making history. But we have a bigger goal. We’re trying to go to LA 2028 and medal in LA 2028,” said Canada’s Jérome Desrosiers. “With the support of the country and all our families, it’s been really helpful, but we know we’re capable of way more.”

San Salvador, El Salvador (Nov. 1, 2026) – Canada’s 3×3 National Teams made history at the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup 2026, with the women returning to the top of the podium following a commanding victory over the United States in the gold medal game, while the men captured their first-ever silver medal in San Salvador, El Salvador.

After falling to the United States in the women’s final and missing the podium on the men’s side in 2025, both teams entered this year’s tournament determined to build on their previous performances and contend for gold.

Canada’s women opened their campaign on the third day of competition with a dominant 21-6 victory over host El Salvador. Cassandra Brown led the way with nine points and six rebounds, while Michelle Plouffe added eight points and eight rebounds in her return to the AmeriCup stage.

The Canadians carried that momentum into their second game, defeating Venezuela 21-7 after establishing an early lead and maintaining control throughout the contest. Paige Crozon led the scoring with seven points and added four rebounds.

Canada finished atop Pool A with a perfect 2-0 record to advance to the knockout stage.

“We’re the number one seeds, so we definitely want to take home the gold,” said Brown ahead of the tournament. “We obviously have a new team on this one, so [we’re] building off of that, incorporating some new things and learning how to play together.”

That growing chemistry was on full display in the playoffs, as Canada defeated Chile 18-10 in the quarter-finals before cruising past Colombia 21-11 in the semifinals. Michelle Plouffe led the charge against Colombia with 11 points, sending Canada to its second consecutive AmeriCup gold medal game and setting up a rematch with the United States.

After briefly trailing in the opening minute of the final, Canada took control and never looked back. The Canadians maintained their lead throughout the remainder of the contest, with Crozon delivering the game-winning basket to secure a decisive 21-12 victory and Canada’s return to the top of the podium.

“It was super fun to come out here with my teammates and give it our everything and play for something bigger than ourselves,” said Michelle Plouffe.

For Crozon, the gold medal represented another important step forward as Canada continues building toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

“I’m very proud of the progress we made every single game,” said Crozon. “We’re taking strides towards LA in 2028.”

On the men’s side, Canada opened its campaign with a convincing 21-8 victory over Trinidad and Tobago. Making his 3×3 national team debut, Connor Vreeken powered the Canadian offence with a game-high nine points.

“Knowing that I have the opportunity to represent my country and my family on the international stage isn’t something that I take for granted,” said Vreeken.

Canada followed up with a 21-13 win over Mexico in its second pool game. After a tightly contested opening stretch, the Canadians pulled away behind another nine-point performance from Vreeken to finish undefeated in pool play.

The quarter-finals brought a challenging matchup against host El Salvador, with Canada facing both a determined opponent and an energized home crowd. The two sides traded baskets throughout the contest before Jérôme Desrosiers helped Canada gain the upper hand, finishing with eight points and five rebounds in a hard-fought 21-18 victory.

In the semifinals, Canada faced a familiar opponent in Puerto Rico, the team that had eliminated the Canadians at the same stage of the 2025 tournament.

With a spot in the final on the line, the two teams battled in another tightly contested matchup. Vreeken ultimately delivered the decisive two-pointer to seal a thrilling 21-18 victory, sending Canada to its first-ever FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup men’s final.

Facing the United States in the gold medal game, Canada battled to overcome a strong American start. A mid-game surge brought the Canadians within three points, but the United States held on for a 21-15 victory.

Despite falling short of gold, Canada secured a historic silver medal, marking the best finish in the men’s program’s FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup history.

“It feels awesome winning silver, making history. But we have a bigger goal. We’re trying to go to LA 2028 and medal in LA 2028,” said Desrosiers. “With the support of the country and all our families, it’s been really helpful, but we know we’re capable of way more.”

Canada’s success was further recognized through individual honours, with Plouffe earning women’s tournament MVP and a spot on the Women’s Team of the Tournament. In her return to the competition, Plouffe led all women’s scorers with 42 points and ranked first in player value with 49.8.

All four Canadian women finished among the top 10 in player value, with Michelle Plouffe and her sister, Katherine Plouffe (33.8), both ranking in the top three. Brown also delivered a standout tournament, finishing seventh overall in scoring and third in rebounding.

On the men’s side, Vreeken was named to the Team of the Tournament following an impressive AmeriCup debut. He finished second in the tournament in scoring with 39 points, player value (48.8) and rebounding (21).

With two medals, a gold medal title and several individual honours, Canada closed out the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup 2026 with a historic showing, reinforcing the continued growth of its 3×3 programs as both teams look ahead to the road to Los Angeles 2028.

Tori McKinney and Team USA claimed the gold medal at the 2026 Women’s Under-23 3×3 FIBA World Cup early Saturday morning, defeating Canada 15-10. It’s the second time that the Team USA women have won gold (2024 being the first time) in the competition that was founded in 2018. In addition, McKinney was named the MVP of the Women’s U23 FIBA World Cup.

The United States entered the competition as the 4th seed out of 20 teams, making them the top seed of Pool D. McKinney and the team began pool play 3-0, which clinched advancement to the bracket stage, before opting to forfeit the final game to Australia to rest and prepare for a championship run the next day.

The bracket stage unfolded during the wee hours of Saturday morning. In the quarterfinals Team USA defeated the Netherlands 21-17, a performance that was followed by a 21-16 victory over Spain in the semifinals. That led to a showdown with Canada in the gold medal game, the team that the USA would have faced had they played and beaten Australia to make a clean sweep of Pool D.

The gold medal game was a low scoring affair, a mix of strong defense and fatigue for the players in their third game of the day. 

Team USA was one of the strongest defensive teams in the tournament, with the lowest points allowed per game of any team that advanced to the bracket stage. McKinney played a key role in that defensive performance as Team USA’s tallest and longest defender, taking advantage of that length to tally blocks in both the semifinal and gold medal games.

McKinney was stellar offensively as well, averaging more than 5 points per game as Team USA’s second leading scorer. She turned it up when things mattered most, too, leading the team in scoring in the last two games of the tournament.