WUHAN (China) – Serbia men have completed a perfect pool phase at the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup 2026, going 4-0 in Pool A to secure their place in the Quarter-Finals and keep their pursuit of their first-ever U23 gold firmly on track.

Serbia opened their campaign with wins over Kazakhstan and Tonga on Day 1 before returning to action on Day 3 with victories over Germany and the Netherlands. They defeated Germany 21-13 before closing out Pool A with a 21-15 win over the Netherlands.

For Vuk Vukicevic, who was part of Serbia’s silver-medal team at last year’s U23 World Cup, the team’s success has come down to the connection between the four players.

“Chemistry is everything,” Vukicevic said. “Chemistry and mentality. This wins the World Cup.”

The Serbia star also pointed to the challenge of arriving in Wuhan just two days before the competition, with the team having to quickly adjust after their journey and continue preparing together.

“It was tough,” Vukicevic said after Serbia completed their pool sweep. “We just find the space, make more points, and that’s it.”

Vukicevic has been one of the key figures for Serbia throughout their campaign, but he was quick to shift the focus away from his individual contribution and toward the team.

“When you play for the Serbia flag, this is everything,” he said. “I just want to say thank you to my guys.”

Now, Serbia have their sights firmly set on the knockout rounds.

After falling to Lithuania in last year’s Final, Vukicevic knows exactly what his team wants to accomplish in Wuhan.

“We are focused to take this gold medal,” he said. “This is why we’re here… we will see what happens in the Quarter-Finals.”

Serbia will return to action on Day 5 for the knockout phase, with Vukicevic and his teammates now just two wins away from another U23 World Cup Final, and one step closer to the gold medal they came to Wuhan to chase.

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.

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WUHAN (China) – Serbia men and France women made major statements on Day 3 of the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup 2026, completing perfect pool-phase campaigns to secure their places in the Quarter-Finals. Serbia swept Men’s Pool A with a 4-0 record, while France did the same in Women’s Pool A. The Netherlands, Australia, China, Spain and Latvia also booked their places in the knockout stage as Pools A and C reached their conclusion.

Serbian sweep

Last year’s Men’s runners-up continued their impressive campaign by completing a perfect run through Men’s Pool A, defeating Germany 21-13 before closing out the day with a 21-15 victory over the Netherlands.

The win over Germany set the tone, with Miloš Cvrkota leading Serbia with nine points. Serbia then saved another strong performance for their last pool game, with Vuk Vukićević scoring nine points and producing seven highlights against the Netherlands. The two victories took Serbia to 4-0, making them and Australia the first Men’s teams to complete a perfect pool phase run, sending them through to the Quarter-Finals.

Leading from the front

Vukićević was at the heart of Serbia men’s success on Day 3. The Serbian star produced a total of 17 points on Day 3, helping his team finish the pool phase without a defeat. That result capped a strong pool campaign for Vukićević, who had already made his presence felt on Day 1 with 10 points against Kazakhstan and six against Tonga. He ends Day 3 as tied with Australia’s William Mahoney as the Men’s Tournament top-scorers with 33 points apiece.

With Serbia now through to the Quarter-Finals, Vukićević and his teammates have completed the first step toward their goal of going one better than last year’s silver medal.

Perfect run

France matched Serbia’s achievement on the Women’s side, sweeping Pool A with a 4-0 record after defeating Italy and Egypt on Day 3.

France opened the day with a commanding 21-9 victory over Italy, with Eléna Zemoura leading the way with seven points. Zemoura was again among France’s key contributors in their final pool game, adding six points, five rebounds and six highlights in a 16-10 victory over Egypt. The two wins completed France’s perfect campaign and secured their place in the Quarter-Finals.

Zemoura’s big day

Zemoura was one of France’s standout performers throughout Day 3, combining scoring with all-around production in both games. She opened with seven points against Italy before following that up with a triple-five effort against Egypt. Her 13 points across the two games helped France maintain their momentum as they closed out Pool A unbeaten and advanced to the knockout stage. She currently leads the Women’s Tournament in total player value with 42.9.

Australia sweep Pool C

Australia also completed a perfect Men’s Pool C campaign, defeating Kenya 21-8 before beating Algeria 21-13. Mahoney was the leading scorer in both games, putting up nine points against Kenya and another nine against Algeria, including three two-pointers in the latter victory. Griffin Gerald Biwer also produced a strong performance against Kenya, recording six points, 11 rebounds and six highlights as Australia controlled the game from the start.

Spain, Latvia and China advance

Spain also completed an unbeaten Women’s Pool C campaign, defeating Uganda 19-10 before edging Madagascar 17-14. Elena Rodríguez Domínguez contributed six points, five rebounds and five highlights against Uganda. Elena Moreno led Spain with five points against Madagascar. The two victories moved Spain to 4-0 and into the Quarter-Finals.

Latvia also secured their place in the Women’s knockout rounds after finishing Pool C with a 3-1 record. They defeated Uganda 21-8 before beating Tonga 21-4, with Ieva Korzāne producing 10 points, five rebounds and three two-pointers in the latter game.

Hosts China advanced from Women’s Pool A after ruling their two Day 3 games. They edged Italy 18-16 before defeating the Philippines 18-9, with Wu Mengjie erupting for 13 points and seven rebounds in the second victory.

Netherlands and France secure Men’s spots

The Netherlands completed a 3-1 Pool A record and advanced to the Men’s Quarter-Finals after beating Kazakhstan 22-9. Wessel Vankan led the way with 11 points and five highlights as the Netherlands bounced back from their defeat to Serbia.

France also booked their place in the Men’s knockout stage after finishing Pool C with a 3-1 record. They defeated Poland 20-13 before closing their campaign with a 21-6 win over Kenya.

Teams through to the knockout stage

Men’s Quarter-Finals

Serbia
Netherlands
Australia
France

Women’s Quarter-Finals

France
China
Spain
Latvia

What’s next?

Day 4 brings the conclusion of Pools B and D, with the remaining Quarter-Final spots up for grabs as the Men’s and Women’s knockout-stage fields are completed ahead of Day 5.

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.

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“We’ve put in good work, the atmosphere is very good, I believe in this team and I think we’ll do a good job,” Nerandzic said before departure.

In 3×3 basketball jargon, “a good job” means only one thing: a finish that brings a medal. Serbia’s history at the 3×3 European Championship includes five gold and two silver medals, a record few national teams in any sport would hesitate to sign up for. That number is exactly why Zdero uses the same language ahead of every new tournament: the goal isn’t participation, it’s the top medal.

Saturday’s Schedule and the Groups

The draw placed Serbia in Group A alongside Belgium and Switzerland. Group B has the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, Group C has Lithuania, Latvia and Ireland, and Group D has France, Germany and Estonia.

Serbia plays both group matches on Saturday, September 12:

• 7:20 PM against Switzerland
• 9:10 PM against Belgium

The format is familiar from previous editions. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals, where Group A crosses with Group C, meaning Serbia’s possible quarterfinal opponents are Lithuania, Latvia or Ireland. The elimination rounds and the medal matches are played on Sunday, September 13, the tournament’s final day.

In 3×3 basketball, the day of reckoning is always the same day. There’s no gap between the quarterfinal, semifinal and final, so the physical conditioning built by Aleksandar Milosevic matters just as much as a shot from the line in the closing seconds.

WARSAW (Poland) – The road to the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2026 title narrowed considerably on Day 6 as the Quarter-Finals delivered drama, heartbreak and championship-defining performances.

With a place in the Semi-Finals at stake, the world’s best teams left everything on the half-court. Some contenders strengthened their claims for gold, several stars rose to the occasion, and others saw their World Cup dreams come to an end.

In today’s standout results, the men from Serbia emerged victorious in a blockbuster clash against the Dutch while the Dutch women edged one step closer to back-to-back FIBA 3×3 World Cup titles with a gritty win over Hungary.

SERBIA (Men)

Serbia faced off against the Netherlands in a matchup between two of 3×3’s greatest sides, and it did not disappoint. Physical and closely fought all the way until the end, it would be Serbia who would come away with the victory off the back of a 9-point game from World #1 Strahinja Stojacic. Nemanja Barać got the final bucket to earn Serbia a 21 – 19 win and keep their hopes for World Cup title #7 alive as they head into the Semi-final tomorrow.

Men’s Semi-Finals Matchups

Serbia vs Latvia
Germany vs France

NETHERLANDS (Women)

The new-look Dutch side were unbeaten heading into their Quarter-final matchup against Hungary who seemed to have found their groove on both sides of the game. While the Dutch maintained a slight advantage for majority of the game, Hungary were always right there with them. Zoë Slagter and Lotte van Kruistum led the way for the Dutch onslaught with 8 points apiece.

However, Hungary kept barging into the Dutch lead, eventually closing the gap at 20 apiece. In a ‘next buckets wins’ situation, Noortje Driessen put the game on ice for the Dutch with a clutch layup, handing them a 21 – 20 victory over Hungary. They book their place into the Final four as they hope to make it two World Cup titles in a row on Day 7.

Women’s Semi-Finals Matchups

Netherlands vs Australia
Azerbaijan vs United States

Dunk Mania

In the inaugural Dunk Mania contest, it was Team Grabo that ultimately won. Hometown hero Piotr “Grabo” Grabowski led the way, together with other Team Grabo dunkers Chen “Dunk King” Deng Xing (China) and Dmitry “Smoove” Krivenko (Ukraine).

DAY 7

The FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2026 reaches its climax on Final Day. The Semi-Finals winners advance to the gold medal games, while the losing Semi-Finalists will battle for bronze.

Just four teams remain in each tournament. The next stop is the podium. You don’t wanna miss the action, catch it all LIVE through the FIBA 3×3 YouTube channel.

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WARSAW (Poland) – Day 1 of the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2026 delivered an electric start in downtown Warsaw as the world’s best players officially began their quest for global glory.

Serbia (men) and the Netherlands (women) took the headlines with perfect records and statement wins on opening day.

TEAMS

SERBIA (Men)

The 6-time World Cup winners meant business on Day 1. They started out with a decisive 21 – 14 victory over Madagascar. Nenad Nerandžić led the way with a 10-point scoring effort while World #1 Strahinja Stojacic pulled the strings for the win.

Their second game would be against Reigning World Cup champs in Spain. Whilst a more physical battle, Serbia stayed a step ahead, ultimately pulling away with a 16 – 12 win thanks to a Dr. Strange takeover with a 9-point scoring display. They sit atop their pool before Day 3 action where they’ll close out their pool run.

NETHERLANDS (Women)

Reigning champs came out swinging to start pool play! They faced a sharpshooting Czechia side to open action and grinded their offense down, turning it into a gritty affair. The Dutch emerged victorious 12 – 8, a much-needed tone-setter heading into their next clash against a dominant Azerbaijan side.

Ilse Kuijt and Noortje Driessen starred in their second pool game, combining for 14 points in yet another victory, this time a 19 – 13 result over a contending side to close Day 1 action unbeaten.

PLAYERS

FABIAN GIESSMANN (Germany)

The 21-year-old German star was dominant to start pool action. Germany’s perfect pool display came off the back of two monstrous performances from Giessmann – 9 points and 4 rebounds against Japan before adding in an 11-point 6-rebound effort against New Zealand.

Giessmann’s impact both offensively and defensively makes him a perennial threat for the opposition and a star to watch heading into Day 3 action.

AMA DEGBEON (Germany)

Ama Degbeon was feeling herself on Day 1 action . She started off with a joint-team high 7 points in a win over China before following it up with a 10-point outburst in their win over the Philippines. Germany closed the day with a perfect record and Degbeon’s efforts were a key part of that.

What’s Next?

Day 2 of the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2026 will feature Pool B and Pool D action in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Among the must-watch matchups:

– Pool B Men: USA vs Latvia: Athletic powerhouse vs former Olympic champions.
– Pool B Women: Australia vs USA: High-level clash between two medal contenders.

Fans can follow all the action live on FIBA 3×3 digital platforms and official broadcast partners worldwide.

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