FIBA 3×3 World Tour Returns to Edmonton as Part of Global Strategy

With a burgeoning basketball scene around Canada and the return of two home-grown stars, Edmonton will transform into a home for basketball and entertainment fans this week when the FIBA 3×3 World Tour returns to the Alberta destination for the third consecutive year.

The Ice Palace at West Edmonton Mall will have a basketball court and a festival vibe steps from rollercoasters, a waterpark and 800-plus places to shop and eat after the past two years when FIBA 3×3 was located at the Ice District outside of Rogers Place, the home of the Edmonton Oilers.

“The events are well attended and for us to be in Canada where we have such a strong, committed women’s team and a stop in the Americas for us fits with our global strategy,” said Alex Sanchez, FIBA 3×3’s managing director.

The schedule starts July 31 with men’s and women’s quests and youth showcase games, before the women’s series starts with pool play on August 1 along with the playoffs for the men’s and women’s quests.

The men’s pool play and women’s playoffs are on August 2 before the men’s playoffs and wheelchair challenge on August 3 rounds out the schedule. The men’s stop in Edmonton is the eighth out of 17 events this year; the women’s stop is the 11th out of 15 events this year.

The women’s event in particular comes as Canada’s team is looking for a third consecutive women’s series victory of the year and is led by Edmonton’s own Katherine and Michelle Plouffe.

“We’ve been a big supporter of basketball on the national level with Canada basketball for over a decade,” said Cindy Medynski, Explore Edmonton’s director, sport and culture events. “Having the 3×3 discipline just felt like a very good fit for our city and how we can support it and promote it. It’s really important that it’s the world tour on the men’s side, but that the women’s series is also represented. Having that gender equity represented in sport and major events is part of our strategic framework. As a host city, I think it’s something we can do to shine some more light on these female athletes especially given we’ve got some great homegrown ones here in Edmonton.”

Cross Promoting a Sport and City

FIBA also brings international attention to Edmonton, which was selected by Lonely Planet as a Top City in the Best in Travel list for 2025.

“These international teams are coming, their friends and family can experience a city they maybe never would have visited if we hadn’t hosted this event,” Medynski said. “So if they have a great experience in Edmonton, they’re going to be an extension of us in terms of word of mouth and becoming an ambassador for our destination. They can use their experience to communicate the value of hosting events in Edmonton and how we are such a great city to not only visit but to live in and work in.”

When it attracts major international events like FIBA 3×3, Explore Edmonton communicates throughout the city about the potential for new visitation so that hotels, restaurants and other attractions can be prepared to leverage the opportunity to spread awareness of the event.

“It’s important to us to show FIBA that we want to increase awareness of the sport and the athletes and together build our brands side by side,” Medynski said. “That’s something that’s important for Edmonton and specifically Explore Edmonton is to be able to align with these big brands that really enhance our image and reputation. That long-term, multi-year approach I think is something that we’re seeing a trend from international federations but also host cities, so you can build on the success year after year.”

The location for this year’s event is also intentional “having all of the activity in and around the mall and then the focal point being FIBA 3X3 World Tour and Women’s Series, it’s going to show that there’s so much to do in the city,” Medynski added. “Sport maybe brought them in as the anchor event. But then there’s all of these things in Edmonton and around our city that they can experience.”

That philosophy fits to the theme that FIBA 3×3 has strived for with its events around the world. The idea is basketball is the hook to attract fans and visitors but then those fans are allowed plenty of time to explore activities that can keep them around the site beyond the game.

“Edmonton is a good example,” Sanchez said. “We don’t ask the people to go to a traditional gym. To have this flair, this party and therefore to have the event downtown in Edmonton in the mall — some of the people are coming because they have bought a ticket. Others are strolling, see events, see the party and want to join and sit and watch. I think this mix makes the vibe of 3×3 and I think what we have happening in Edmonton is a good example of it.”

Anyone’s Game

The 3×3 scene has blossomed in part because of its non-traditional powerhouse teams.

“The idea when 3×3 was launched was to democratize basketball,” Sanchez said. “The beauty with 3×3 is what we see is less predictable because it is wide open for anybody to be competitive.”

At the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, the men’s gold medal was won by the Netherlands, which has never qualified for men’s Olympic basketball in 5×5. The U.S. men finished seventh, behind Latvia and Poland among others.

The U.S. women won bronze at the Olympics in Paris but last month at the 3×3 Worlds, it lost in the quarterfinals to host Mongolia, which made a run to the championship before losing to the Dutch women. Switzerland won the men’s gold, having last made the Olympics in 5×5 in 1952.

Sanchez points to 3×3’s success in media interest around the globe and increased interest in cities hosting FIBA events. Another sign of the sport’s growth: The International Olympic Committee recently increased the number of teams to 12 for men and women at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, up from eight in Paris.

“I always say that we are low-cost, high-value entertainment,” Sanchez said. “For a small investment compared with most other Olympic disciplines, you can get value for money. I would challenge you to find another Olympic discipline that is able to generate so much fun.”

FIBA 3×3 Edmonton Event Schedule

July 31: FIBA 3×3 Men’s & Women’s Quests, Hoop City Youth Showcase Games
August 1: FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Pool Play, Men’s & Women’s Quests Playoffs
August 2: FIBA 3×3 Men’s World Tour Pool Play, Women’s Series Playoffs
August 3: FIBA 3×3 Men’s World Tour Playoffs, Wheelchair Challenge