BASKETBALL: Uganda to host FIBA 3X3, Youth Nations League
The Federation of Uganda Basketball Association (FUBA) will host the FIBA 3×3, Africa, Youth Nations’ League, come August 5th – 11th, 2024, at the Lugogo Hockey Pitch in Kampala.
This championship comes shortly Uganda after a successful U18 Zone Five Afrobasket championship Uganda hosted in June.
The Youth Nations League is the only qualification pathway towards the U23 World Cup; that is scheduled for September 2024, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia a month after the Uganda qualifiers.
Hamza Nyambogo Mnemo, the Director, 3×3 format at FUBA and also the Chairman, Organizing Committee of
the FIBA 3×3, Africa, Youth Nations’ League Kampala event says the hosts Uganda will compete against South Africa, Algeria, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso and Benin.
“The Youth Nations League is organized in ‘Stops’ of sextuples. A sextuple has 6 competition days or 6 mini-tournaments that are held in one place. The U23 World Cup is considered the highest level of competition for 3×3.
It provides a much needed platform to expose players and National Federations to high level international competition,” said Mnemo.
20 countries (20 men and 20 women teams) make the final group that participates the U23 World Cup.
And just like it is with Africa, participants from the other FIBA jurisdictions of Asia, Europe, and the Americas qualify for the World Cup via the Youth Nations Leagues held on their continents.
The countries that participate in these sextuples are the only ones that stand a chance to qualify to a U23 World Cup.
“The winners of each conference (sextuple) get automatic qualification to the U23 World Cup. The host national federation (Mongolia men and women) also automatically qualifies along with the reigning champions (USA men and Netherlands women),” said Mnemo.
To make the final 20 qualifying teams (per gender), the other participating countries have to secure themselves high ranking positions in the Nations League 2024 final standings (after all the games at the various conferences have been played), he added.
FIBA believes the Youth Nations League provides a much needed platform to expose players and national federations to high level international competition regularly, as it serves as qualifiers to the annual World Cup.
“Ugandans should come in large numbers to cheer on the boys and girls as they seek qualification to the
World Cup,” said Nasser Sserunjogi the FUBA President.
Entrance fee will be UGX 10,000 and UGX 25,000 for the ordinary and VIP tickets respectively.
FUBA is organizing the event. Leading the organizing committee is Hamza Mnemo, one of the most
experienced FIBA 3X3 Technical officials on the continent.
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