ISTANBUL (Türkiye) - USA remained the powerhouse in youth global basketball by claiming the crown at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 with a 107-81 win over Serbia in the Final in Istanbul.
A crowd of 3544 at the Basketball Development Center witnessed the Americans' dominant second half to definitely take control of the game.
USA have won all eight editions of the competition in compiling a 58-0 record dating back to the inaugural tournament in 2010. In the Final, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje led USA with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. Clarence Rosser Jr added 23 points, while Beckham Black controlled the pace of the game with 12 points, 10 assists and 3 steals.
Serbia had already secured their best-ever finish in FIBA U17 World Cup history by reaching the Final. It was the Serbs' second podium finish after taking third place in 2014. The Europeans could not keep pace with the Americans, despite Nikola Kusturica setting a new FIBA U17 World Cup Final record with 37 points.
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje TISSOT MVP
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje finished off the impressive run to the title by winning the TISSOT Most Valuable Player award. Boumtje Boumtje averaged 19.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game.
Boumtje Boumtje was joined on the All-Star Five by teammate Beckham Black, Nikola Kusturica of Serbia, Omer Kutluay of Türkiye and Australia's Luke Paul.
Nathan Soliman of France, Türkiye's Darius Karutasu, Matija Lukic of Serbia, DJ Gaines from Puerto Rico and Clarence Rosser Jr of USA were selected for the All-Second Team, while Stevan Mijovic of Serbia was named as Best Coach and Serbia's Nikola Kusturica took home the honor as Best Defensive Player.
Australia grabbed the third spot on the podium after beating hosts Türkiye 77-69 in the Third Place Game. Luke Paul flirted with a triple-double, collecting 19 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists to lead Australia, while William Hamilton added 16 points and Yahya Basaran had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The bronze medal adds to Australia's silver-medal finishes in 2012 and 2014.
Final Standings of the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026.
1. USA 2. Serbia 3. Australia 4. Türkiye 5. France 6. Canada 7. Lithuania 8. Puerto Rico 9. Slovenia 10. China 11. Côte d'Ivoire 12. New Zealand 13. Italy 14. Japan 15. Venezuela 16. Cameroon
FIBA