Warsaw. 3×3 basketball world championship in 2026

In 2026, Warsaw will become the world capital of 3×3 basketball, hosting the Senior World Championships of women and men. The World Basket World Cup will take place on June 1-7 in front of the Palace of Culture and Science.

The tournament under the Palace of Culture and Science in the capital will be the first in the history of the basketball World Cup in the Senior category that will take place in Poland.

– In June 2026, huge sports emotions under the sign of 3×3 basketball await us in Warsaw. Under the Palace of Culture and Science, the best national teams, both women and men, will fight for the medals of the world championships! Warsaw has already proved that it can organize great tournaments. Now it's time for something new. It is time for Warsaw to become the host of the most important 3×3 tournament in the world – said Renata Kaznowska, vice president of Warsaw, cited in the town hall.

Is derived from street basketball

3×3 basketball, one of the youngest Olympic disciplines (debuted in 2021 in Tokyo) derived from street basketball, informal competition for one basket in parks, in courtyards or gymnastics, popular for many years around the world, but mainly in the US.

Starting from the late 1980s, this sport began to be standardized in the United States. In 2007, the International Federation (FIBA) created the first official 3×3 basketball game regulations. After several updates, the current rules were published in 2015.

The first world championships in this basketball variety took place in 2012 in Athens. Initially, they were played every two years, and since 2015 they have been organized every year.

Unpredictability, intensity, physicality

Matches in the 3×3 variety are on half the field for classic basketball on a special surface with dimensions of 15×11 meters. The team is created by three playing and a reserve player, changes can be made during each break in the game. They are very common in this extremely fast, requiring high effort and strength of competition.

The throw from behind the 6.75 m line from the basket is rewarded with two points, for accurate attempts from a closer distance and one point is granted.

Each team has 12 seconds from the moment the ball takes over to donate the throw, while after the collection in defense, the action should be started from behind the projection line from a distance. The meetings last 10 minutes of pure game. They end earlier when the team gets 21 points or more. If after 10 minutes no team won them so much, the one who has more wins. In the case of a draw, extra time takes place until one of the teams scores two points.

Unpredictability, twists and turns, intensity, physicality – these features, no basketball in a classic variety, even more of its 3×3 version.

The coach of the men's national team Piotr Renkiel draws attention to three things that distinguish 3×3 basketball, which attracts players and fans. – We play for one basket, so it's much easier to grow. Even … one player, everyone can go to the pitch and throw it to the trash. It is also much easier to build a team, you do not have to be recruited in the club and you can really grow it without a coach. Thirdly – the game is definitely faster, more dynamic and it's nice to watch. It is enough 20 minutes and it is already after the match – described Renkiel.

3×3 basketball and Polish women's successes

Poles were the most successful in this discipline in 2019, when they won the bronze medal in the world championships. They were also among eight male bands, which in 2021 participated in the Olympic debut of this variety of basket. In Tokyo they took seventh place, and in the next start, a year ago in Paris – sixth.

Biało-Czerwoni won bronze medals in the European Championships (2021) and in the European Games (2023), as well as the gold of the world championships up to 23 years old in 2022. The women's staff, in turn, won the bronze of the Old Continent Championships (2022), as well as the silver of the U-23 World Cup in 2023.