First list of 3x3 Challengers unveiled
MIES (3x3 Challengers) - FIBA announced on Wednesday the number of 3x3 Challengers would increase from 14 last year to a minimum of 21 in 2018.
These premium direct international qualifiers to the FIBA 3x3 World Tour will make a first-ever appearance in Australia, Cyprus, Italy, South Korea, Latvia and Lithuania.
Saskatoon Masters (21-22 July)
| Event | Organiser | Country | Date |
| GoYang Challenger | Korea 3x3 Basketball League | South Korea | 14-15 April |
| Chengdu Challenger | Chengdu Basketball Association | China | 26-27 May |
Utsunomiya Masters (28-29 July)
| Event | Organiser | Country | Date |
| Wuxi Challenger | Fountask | China | 5-6 May |
| Sydney Challenger | Basketball Australia | Australia | 19-20 May |
Prague Masters (4-5 August)
| Event | Organiser | Country | Date |
| Tinkoff Moscow Open | Streetbasket Russia | Russia | 18-19 May |
| The Hague Challenger | NBB | Netherlands | 2-3 June |
| Kaunas Challenger | Sporto namų grupė | Lithuania | 30 June - 1 July |
Lausanne Masters (24-25 August)
| Event | Organiser | Country | Date |
| Lignano Sabbiadoro Challenger | FIP | Italy | 14-15 July |
| Lipik Challenger | LIBOX | Croatia | 6-7 July |
| Ghetto Basket Ventspils Challenger | Ghetto Basket | Latvia | 27-28 July |
Debrecen Masters (30-31 August)
| Event | Organiser | Country | Date |
| Raiffeisen Bank Bucharest Challenger | SportArena | Romania | 11-12 August |
| Ljubljana Challenger | KZS | Slovenia | 17-18 August |
| Limassol Challenger | Limassol 3on3 | Cyprus | 16-17 June |
Mexico City Masters (8-9 September)
| Event | Organiser | Country | Date |
| tbc |
India Masters (22-23 September)
| Event | Organiser | Country | Date |
| ING-DiBA Berlin Challenger | DBB | Germany | 31 August - 1 September |
| Penang Challenger | World Hoops | Malaysia | 5-6 May |
Chengdu Masters (29-30 September)
| Event | Organiser | Country | Date |
| Nanjing Challenger | Fountask | China | 21-22 April |
| Hang Zhou Challenger | Zhe Jiang Basketball Association | China | 16-17 June |
Kuala Lumpur Masters (13-14 October)
| Event | Organiser | Country | Date |
| Huai An Challenger | Fountask | China | 12-13 May |
| Ulaanbaatar Challenger | Mongolia Basketball Federation | Mongolia | 2-3 June |
| Edmonton Challenger | Basketball Alberta | Canada | 22-23 September |
Sixteen invitational teams take part in each Challenger and the two finalists stamp their ticket to a designated FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters (unless they are already qualified to the same Masters).
Prize money will reach 20k USD in each one of these challengers this season, a key contribution in the professionalization of the game (close to 1.5 million USD on the entire pro circuit, including the FIBA 3x3 World Tour).
A finalist list of World Tour qualifiers (which may include more challengers) will be announced at a later stage.
While the majority of the World Tour spots are allocated to teams who won a qualifier, 2 tickets per Masters are allocated based on the FIBA 3x3 Team Ranking. Additionally, each World Tour Masters organizer is awarded a local wildcard.
All organizers interested in hosting a 3x3 Challenger in following seasons can contact FIBA's 3x3 team.
FIBA
