CACERES (Spain) – The first-ever FIBA 3x3 Caceres Challenger belonged to Ub (SRB).
The Serbian powerhouse lived up to their billing as the tournament favorite, overcoming an early scare against Cibona Ph.Classic (CRO) in pool play before raising their level throughout Championship Sunday. Ub edged DeQing (CHN) in a tense Quarter-Final before locking down Baskets Bonn (GER) in the Semi-Finals, limiting tournament scoring leader Fabian Giessmann to just four points as Strahinja Stojacic produced another superstar display.
The Winner: Ub (SRB)
Ub saved their most complete performance for the Final. Powered by Nenad Nerandzic's dominant interior presence and trademark team basketball, the Serbian giants defeated Cibona Ph.Classic 21-12 to claim the inaugural FIBA 3x3 Caceres Challenger crown and continue their outstanding 2026 campaign.
Stojacic was deservedly named tournament MVP after once again proving why he remains one of 3x3 basketball's premier players, finishing among the event leaders in player value, highlights, drives and blocks while orchestrating another championship run.
The Runner-up: Cibona Ph.Classic (CRO)
Cibona Ph.Classic enjoyed a breakthrough tournament to secure second place and a coveted ticket to the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Debrecen 2026.
After recovering from an opening-day defeat to Ub, the young Croatian side bounced back emphatically behind Roko Spaseski's explosive 13-point outing against Valencia Basket (ESP) before stunning previously unbeaten Toronto (CAN) in the Quarter-Finals. Cibona then overwhelmed Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (MGL) 22-11 in the Semi-Finals, with Ivan Vrgoc continuing his superb form to book a Final rematch against Ub.
The Final
The Final looked nothing like the teams' closely contested pool meeting.
Ub stormed out to a 9-2 advantage and controlled the contest from start to finish with suffocating defense and total dominance on the glass, outrebounding Cibona 23-9. Nerandzic delivered his best performance of the tournament with eight points and 10 rebounds, repeatedly punishing the Croatian defense inside.
Although Cibona fought hard behind another spirited effort from their young core, Ub never allowed the momentum to shift. Nemanja Barac sealed the title from the free-throw line as the Serbian powerhouse closed out a convincing 21-12 victory to capture their first Challenger event win of the 2026 season.
The Reward
The top three finishers all secured qualification for the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Debrecen. Champions Ub (SRB) were joined by runners-up Cibona Ph.Classic (CRO) and third-place finishers Baskets Bonn (GER), who all continue their chase for more FIBA 3x3 World Tour success later this season.
Final Standings:
1. Ub (SRB) - qualified to WT Debrecen 2. Cibona Ph.Classic (CRO) - qualified to WT Debrecen 3. Baskets Bonn (GER) - qualified to WT Debrecen 4. Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (MGL) 5. Toronto (CAN)
Top Scorers:
1. Fabian Giessmann (Baskets Bonn) - 39 pts 2. Nenand Nerandzic (Ub) - 31 pts 3. Roko Spaseski (Cibona Ph.Classic) - 31 pts 4. Strahinja Stojacic (Ub) - 27 pts 5. Ivan Vrgoc (Cibona Ph.Classic) - 27 pts
FIBA