The prestigious international basketball event, FIBA 3x3 Batam Challenger 2026, officially tipped off at Engku Putri Square, Batam City, Riau Islands, on July 25-26, 2026. This tournament is crucial as teams vie for three coveted tickets to the Malaga World Tour 2026 finals, which will be held in Spain in mid-October.
As the 12th Challenger series of the season, the competition in Batam features 16 formidable teams from various parts of the world. Six of these teams must fight through the qualifying round to secure a spot in the main draw. Given that only the top three teams will earn a trip to Spain, the competition on the court is guaranteed to be fierce right from the opening minute.
Serbian club Ub enters as the top seed and is once again favored thanks to their impressive performance and team chemistry, led by Filip Kaluderovic. However, their path will not be easy with the presence of other strong teams such as Miami (United States), boosted by the return of Henry Caruso; Antwerp (Belgium), led by star player Jonas Foerts; and Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (Mongolia), powered by key player Anand Ariunbold.
Host nation Indonesia fields three of its flagship teams to compete at this international level: Waisai, Balige, and Ambon. Team Waisai is in Group A alongside top seed Ub and Lithuania's Kaunas VDU. Meanwhile, Balige is placed in Group B with Miami and Czech Republic representative Liberec. As for team Ambon, they must start their journey from the qualifying round in Group B, facing Taipei WanBao (Taiwan) and Kharkhorum (Mongolia).
In addition to the fierce competition from these teams, the tournament is also highlighted by the presence of other global clubs such as DeQing (China), Valencia Basket (Spain), and Shinjuku SS (Japan). Every match at Engku Putri Square is guaranteed to deliver intense, do-or-die duels as the participants fight to secure a ticket to the highest echelon of global 3x3 basketball.
