ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - Day 1 of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Ulaanbaatar 2026 delivered everything fans could have hoped for -- upsets, overtime thrillers and buzzer-beaters as DeQing (CHN), Shanghai (CHN), Toulouse (FRA) and hometown heroes Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (MGL) all finished unbeaten to book their places in Sunday's Quarter-Finals.
Top seed Ub (SRB) and defending champions Liman (SRB) also survived a dramatic opening day to reach the knockout rounds, setting up a blockbuster Day 2 at Sukhbaatar Square.
Home heroes delight local fans
The Mongolian crowd had plenty to cheer about as Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy produced a perfect day on home soil. They first rallied from an early deficit to defeat Skyliners (GER) 15-13 in a gritty contest behind 8 points from Delgernyam Davaasambuu. Nauris Miezis then calmly sank a free throw in the closing seconds to seal the victory.
Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy completed their sweep in emphatic fashion, dominating Aachen DER STAMM (GER) 21-10. Davaasambuu again led the way with seven points while Miezis buried the game-clinching two-pointer as the hosts finished atop Pool C.
DeQing, Shanghai statements
DeQing and Shanghai both announced themselves as genuine contenders by going undefeated. DeQing stunned top seed Ub in one of the biggest results of the tournament so far. After trailing early, the Chinese side stormed back behind the heroics of Guim Expósito, who buried the decisive two-pointer in a 21-18 triumph.
They then secured first place in Pool A with a 22-17 victory over Shinjuku SS (JPN), powered by an explosive 11-point performance from Zhang Dianliang.
Shanghai were equally impressive. Karlis Lasmanis and company opened with a commanding 21-15 victory over Amsterdam RABOBANK (NED), with Lu Pengcheng pouring in eight points. The Chinese side then survived a late rally from Gargzdai (LTU), with Wu Xingrui hitting the game-winning two-pointer in a thrilling 21-19 win to complete the sweep.
Despite the defeat, Amsterdam RABOBANK advanced to the Quarter-Finals after opening their campaign with a 21-16 victory over Gargzdai behind nine points from Maarten Bouwknecht.
Toulouse stun Liman
Toulouse emerged as one of the stories of Day 1. The French side produced a dramatic comeback against Liman, with Hugo Suhard knocking down a buzzer-beating jumper to complete a thrilling 19-18 victory.
They followed that up with another nail-biter against Sansar M Bank (MGL). Franck Seguela delivered one of his best performances of the season, erupting for 12 points and finishing the game with a buzzer-beating layup to lift Toulouse to a 20-19 win and first place in Pool B.
Liman had earlier edged host side Sansar M Bank 16-14 in a physical battle behind five points from Stefan Milivojevic, and that victory proved enough to send the Serbian side into the Quarter-Finals.
With four teams entering the knockout stage undefeated and several heavyweights still alive, all signs point to another unforgettable day of action at FIBA 3x3 World Tour Ulaanbaatar 2026.
Shoot-Out Contest
The Shootout Contest presented by ITzone also brought the entertainment. Delgernyam Davaasambuu (Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy) led the way with five makes, while Hugo Suhard (Toulouse) and Samuel Sekiguchi (Shinjuku SS) each scored four. Aleksa Vujadinovic (Skyliners) rounded out the Finalists with three makes. The four players will return on Sunday to battle for the Shootout Contest title.
Quarter-Finals set
The stage is now set for an exciting knockout phase:
QF1: DeQing (CHN) vs. Skyliners (GER) QF2: Shanghai (CHN) vs. Liman (SRB) QF3: Toulouse (FRA) vs. Amsterdam RABOBANK (NED) QF4: Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (MGL) vs. Ub (SRB)
With the Quarter-Finals matchups locked in, the stage is set for an exciting finish at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Ulaanbaatar 2026.
FIBA