In brief
Dubai’s Festival Bay hosted the opening of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour on November 6–7, 2026, marking the start of a three‑year partnership that will cement the emirate as a hub for elite 3x3 basketball and boost local talent and community engagement.
Dubai’s Festival Bay became the stage for the first FIBA 3x3 World Tour games on Friday, November 6, 2026, as teams from 14 world‑class clubs competed in a two‑day event that will finish on Saturday night, November 7.
The tournament was organized by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), supervised by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and run with the UAE Basketball Association. A press conference on Thursday, November 5, 2026 announced a three‑year partnership that runs through 2028, aiming to make Dubai a global center for elite 3x3 competitions.
Speakers at the conference included Eisa Sharif Al Marzouqi, Director of the Sports Events Department at the DSC; Salem Al Mutawa, Secretary‑General of the UAE Basketball Association; Ignacio Soriano, Head of Events and Partnerships at FIBA 3x3; and Olympic gold medallist Worthy de Jong of Team Amsterdam Rabobank.
With 14 world‑class teams competing this weekend, our priority at the Dubai Sports Council was to ensure this global spectacle leaves a lasting community legacy that begins in our schools.
Al Marzouqi said the partnership dovetails with Dubai’s Sports Sector Strategic Plan 2033, which lists basketball as one of 17 priority sports of global resonance. The plan’s four pillars—Community, Events, Clubs and Talent—will be supported by 19 programmes and 75 initiatives to raise the sport’s profile in the emirate.
Part of the outreach strategy was to bring the champions of Team Amsterdam to schools across Dubai, giving students a chance to meet elite players. The tournament’s center court also hosted the 3x3 finals of the Dubai Schools Games, further linking school competition with professional sport.
The Dubai Sports Council confirmed it will host future FIBA 3x3 World Tour events as part of the 2028‑deadline partnership, and that the initiative will help nurture local talent and strengthen the emirate’s position on the global sporting stage.
