Ireland’s 3×3 basketball men’s team will face the reigning World Cup champions and the defending European champions when they return to the FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup in Antwerp this September.
The draw has placed Ireland in a high-powered pool alongside Latvia, recently crowned FIBA 3×3 World Cup champions, and Lithuania, the current FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup title holders.
It is a daunting assignment but also a clear marker of the progress being made in the shorter, faster format of the game by Basketball Ireland and the players who have now earned a place at the European Championships for a second successive year.
Ireland made their debut at this level last year in Copenhagen, where Jordan Blount, John Carroll, Sean Jenkins and Matt Treacy opened with a 21-7 loss to Latvia before exiting the competition after a 21-13 defeat to the Netherlands.
This year’s return has been earned the hard way, through a successful qualifying campaign in Kosovo in June. Ireland, represented by Blount and Treacy, alongside Ryan Leonard and Lucien Christofis, recovered from an opening 21-18 defeat to Cyprus before beating Kosovo 18-16 to reach the semi-finals.
A 21-15 win over Albania set up a rematch with Cyprus in the final, where Ireland turned the earlier result around in emphatic fashion, winning 21-13. Leonard led the scoring with seven points as Ireland secured their passage to Antwerp.
“Our participation for the second year in a row at this level shows our intentions with 3×3,” said Ireland senior men’s head coach Darren McGovern.
“At the qualifiers in Kosovo, we reached some good levels, but we need to improve, and that’s a challenge for the squad. Some of our guys have been playing more on the pro circuit this summer, which has further improved the team’s level. I want them to aim for more than just being there. A win is our next target.”
The meeting with Lithuania will be Ireland’s first at senior level against one of the powerhouses of the 3×3 game. Lithuania are currently among the leading nations in the FIBA 3×3 World Rankings and arrive in Belgium as defending European champions, having beaten Latvia 21-17 in last year’s final.
The challenge is considerable, but the opportunity is equally significant. Qualification in back-to-back years points to consistency in the programme, while exposure to the strongest nations in Europe can only accelerate development.
“Playing recent World Cup champions Latvia and FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup champions Lithuania is the task,” added McGovern.
“How do we win one of those? It starts with belief, but overall, we are looking forward to representing Ireland at the highest level in European 3×3 basketball once more.”
Away from Ireland’s pool, Serbia, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Estonia, Switzerland and Italy have also qualified for the 12-team tournament.
The FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup is the European Championship for basketball’s 3×3 format. Now in its 11th edition, the 2026 tournament will take place in Antwerp from Friday, September 11th to Sunday, September 13th.
The format is simple and intense. Games are played on a half-court, with three players per team, a 12-second shot clock and a 10-minute game clock. The first team to reach 21 points wins, or, if neither team reaches 21, the team with the higher score at the end of the 10 minutes wins.
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Image Credit: Basketball Ireland
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