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