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Serbia’s Ub claimed the title at the Dubai stop of the 2026 FIBA 3×3 World Tour, edging Germany’s Baskets Bonn 20–19 in a tense final at Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall, to capture their fourth World Tour title of the season.
The tournament, held on 6–7 November, was organised by Dubai Sports Council under the supervision of FIBA, in cooperation with the UAE Basketball Association. It marked Dubai’s first time hosting the event and opened a three-year partnership securing World Tour events in the emirate through 2028.
Ub raced to an 8–2 lead in the final before Bonn fought back, with Fabian Giessmann and Denzel Agyeman cutting the deficit to 10–9. A 5–0 run put the Serbians 15–9 ahead, and an Agyeman slam dunk brought Bonn back within one at 15–14. Ub held a 19–18 edge with under two minutes left, and Nerandzic made it 20–19 inside the final minute. Giessmann answered with a dunk, but Bonn found no further score.
Earlier, Ub had beaten Liman in the Quarter-Finals and Amsterdam RABOBANK in the Semi-Finals, while Bonn had beaten Lausanne and Cibona Ph.Classic.
Ub’s Strahinja Stojačić was named tournament MVP, the second time this season he has taken the award at a World Tour stop. He led the field with 28 highlights and 11 key assists, added 34 points, the second-highest total in the competition, and finished with a player value of 55.4, also second overall.
Side events added to the weekend’s excitement. Toronto’s Adris De Leon won the Shootout Contest, presented by Dubai Sports Council, with 12 points in the final. Poland’s Piotr “Grabo” Grabowski won the Slam Dunk Contest, also presented by Dubai Sports Council, claiming his third dunk contest title at a World Tour stop this season.
The tournament contributed to the objectives of the Dubai Sports Sector Strategic Plan 2033 by attracting high-quality international sporting events, strengthening sport’s presence in the community and providing younger generations with opportunities to watch leading players compete at the highest level.
The event also supported Dubai Sports Council’s wider ambitions to create lasting value through international sporting competitions, build effective partnerships, develop organisational expertise and promote sport as an important contributor to quality of life. Hosting the World Tour further reinforced Dubai’s position as an international destination for athletes and sports fans.
The Dubai debut also established a strong foundation for the continuation of the partnership with FIBA through 2028, supporting the emirate’s ambition to expand its international sporting offering and strengthen its position on the global 3×3 Basketball calendar.
The opening day produced several closely contested games. Baskets Bonn, Cibona Ph.Classic, Amsterdam RABOBANK and Liman all finished the group stage unbeaten, and Cibona Ph.Classic’s 21–20 win over top seeds Ub was one of the day’s standout results.
Host team Dubai secured a Quarter-Final place with a 20–19 victory over DeQing, giving local supporters a team to follow into the knockout rounds. Fourteen teams from 12 countries took part, with 12 reaching the group stage and eight advancing to the Quarter-Finals, among them Olympic champion Worthy de Jong with Amsterdam RABOBANK.
Staged at Dubai Festival City Mall’s open-air waterfront venue, the tournament added 3×3 Basketball to Dubai’s international sporting calendar and gave spectators the opportunity to watch some of the discipline’s leading players compete.