ANTWERP (Belgium) – Ireland men and Azerbaijan women from the Kosovo Qualifier, Switzerland men, Italy men, Hungary women and Slovenia women from the Slovakia Qualifier, and Spain men, Estonia men, Ukraine women and Sweden women from the Romania Qualifier secured the final tickets to the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup Crelan 2026 after an action-packed qualification campaign across Europe.
With places in Antwerp on the line, teams battled through three highly competitive qualifying tournaments, producing dramatic finishes, breakthrough performances and historic achievements as the final lineup for Europe's premier 3x3 basketball national team competition took shape.
Men: Spain return, Estonia end four-year wait
Spain headlined the final batch of men's qualifiers after completing an unbeaten run in Bucharest to secure their return to the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup following their absence in 2025.
Led by the dominant play of Iván Aurrecoechea, Spain powered through the Romania Qualifier before defeating Austria in the decisive qualification game to punch their ticket to Antwerp.
Joining them from Romania were Estonia, who emerged as one of the stories of the qualification campaign. Estonia swept through pool play before defeating Ukraine in the qualification round to secure their first Europe Cup appearance since 2021.
The Slovakia Qualifier produced two more qualifiers in Switzerland and Italy. Switzerland completed an unbeaten campaign in Košice behind the leadership of Jonathan Kazadi and Jonathan Dubas, while Italy bounced back from an opening-day defeat to qualify through a difficult path that included victories over Croatia and Portugal.
Ireland claimed the lone men's berth available in Kosovo. After suffering an opening-day loss to Cyprus, Ireland responded impressively and ultimately avenged that defeat in the qualification game. Matt Treacy and Ryan Alexander Leonard played key roles as Ireland booked their place at the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup.
Women: Sweden make history as Hungary impress
The women's qualification campaign featured several standout stories, none bigger than Sweden's breakthrough performance in Bucharest.
After opening the tournament with a surprise victory over Lithuania, Sweden continued their impressive run before defeating Latvia in the qualification game to secure the country's first-ever appearance at the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup.
Ukraine joined them after completing an unbeaten campaign in Romania, overcoming Austria in a tense qualification showdown to continue their strong run of form on the international stage.
Hungary were arguably the most dominant women's team across all three qualifiers. Led by Vivi Böröndy, Hungary swept through the Slovakia Qualifier undefeated and secured qualification with a defensive masterclass against Italy.
Slovenia earned the second women's ticket from Košice after surviving a dramatic qualification game against Portugal. Eva Lisec starred throughout the tournament as Slovenia secured its place in Antwerp.
In Kosovo, Azerbaijan completed a memorable unbeaten run to claim the lone qualification spot available. Alexandra Mollenhauer delivered one of the defining performances of the entire qualification campaign, scoring 15 points and hitting the game-winning two-pointer in a thrilling 21-20 victory over Ireland in the qualification game.
Full team list
With the final 10 teams now confirmed through the qualification pathway, the lineup for the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup Crelan 2026 in Antwerp is complete.
Men
Belgium, Serbia, Netherlands, Lithuania, France, Germany, Latvia, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, Estonia and Spain
Women
Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Slovenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Sweden
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About FIBA 3x3
Exciting, urban and innovative, 3x3 is inspired by several forms of streetball played worldwide and is considered the world's number one urban team sport. Steered by FIBA, games see two teams of three players face off on a basketball half-court.
It was played successfully for the first time in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and has since benefited from the launch of yearly professional circuits for men and women (World Tour and Women's Series respectively) as well as national team competitions. 3x3 made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
FIBA 3x3 Regional Zone Cups
The Continental Cups (Europe Cup, Asia Cup, Africa Cup and Americup.) are the top regional championships for national teams. They serve as crucial qualification platforms for global events, highlight emerging regional powers, and expand the reach of 3x3 across FIBA’s zones.
FIBA