The Lusail 3×3 Challenger International Tournament is set for launch on Friday (May 2). It is being staged by Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) as part of the country’s preparations to host the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The two-day tournament is part of the Challenger series supervised by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and considered a major global sporting event.
The matches will be held at Al Saad Square in Lusail Park, one of Qatar’s most prominent modern cultural landmarks.
The competition is held in partnership between the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027 Organising Committee and Qatari Diar.
Lusail 3×3 Challenger: Format
The tournament featured 16 teams from around the world, with the competition system divided into two stages:
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Preliminary stage (qualifiers): Six teams will participate, divided into two groups, with the top team from each group advancing to the group stage.
Main stage (group stage): 12 teams, including 10 direct qualifiers and the two teams that qualified from the qualifiers, will be divided into four groups.
Qualifier Stage
For qualifiers the teams will be divided as follows:
Group A:
Al Gharafa of Qatar, Kaunas of Lithuania, and Nishinomiya of Japan.
Group B:
Al Doha of Qatar, Al Khor of Qatar, and Kigali of Rwanda.
The top team from each group will advance to the group stage. The team that qualifies from Group A will join Group C, while the team that qualifies from Group B will join Group D,
Group Stage Draws
The 12 teams were divided into four groups as follows:
Group A: Al Wakrah of Qatar, Marbella of Spain, and Toulouse of France.
Group B: Al Rayyan of Qatar, Partizan of Serbia, and Kandava of Latvia.
Group C: Partizan of Serbia, Lugano of Switzerland, and the team that qualified from Group A in the playoffs.
Group D: New York Harlem of the United States, Carolina of Puerto Rico, and the team that qualified from Group B in the playoffs.
Lusail 3×3 Challenger: Schedule
Group Stage: May 2, 2025
Knockout Stage: May 3, 2025
Also Read: FIBA EuroBasket 2025: Groups Schedule, Timings, Venues
Knockout stage qualification system
After the group stage, eight teams will qualify for the quarter-finals. The top team from Group A will meet the runner-up from Group C in the quarter-finals, and the top team from Group D will meet the runner-up from Group B. The winners will then meet in the semi-finals.
The top team from Group C will meet the runner-up from Group A, and the top team from Group B will meet the runner-up from Group D. The two winners will then meet in the semi-finals. The final will be between the two semi-final winners.
The Lusail 3×3 Challenger International is one of the many tournaments and events organised by Qatar in the run-up to the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
