BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN are hoping to have two representatives in the Fiba 3x3 World Tour Final 2025, which is set to be hosted by the kingdom later this month.
All-Bahraini outfit Seef are already assured of their berth, having been given the host wild card, series organisers have announced. Riffa are the kingdom’s other side looking to secure their place, but have yet to officially qualify.
A total of 14 teams are set to feature in the highly anticipated event, with 12 competing in the main draw for the ultimate 3x3 crown this November 21 and 22 at Bahrain Financial Harbour in the heart of Manama.
The best 3x3 basketball squads from around the world are aiming to qualify for the competition through a combination of their season standings and their pro event performances.
Seef are one of eight teams who have already confirmed their place in the competition, but they will first have to play in the Manama Final’s qualifying draw to earn a spot in the tournament proper.
The other squads to have already officially booked their tickets to the Manama Final – all through their Fiba 3x3 World Tour standings – are Ub and Liman from Serbia, Amsterdam Rabobank from the Netherlands, Miami from the US, Chongming from China, Toulouse from France, and Raudondvaris Hoptrans from Lithuania. These seven teams will play directly in the Manama Final’s main draw.
Bahrain’s Riffa, meanwhile, are one of five outfits who are still in contention for the remaining three qualifying slots through their season’s standings. The others are Hangzhou from China, Vienna from Austria, Skyliners from Germany, and Ulaanbaatar from Mongolia.
The campaign’s final ranking will depend on the result of the last event prior to Bahrain, which is the Bucharest Masters in Romania, to be played next Saturday and Sunday.
After the 10 qualifiers from the standings are finalised, three remaining berths via pro event performances will be determined. These are known as performance slots, and they are to be contested between teams with the highest number of wins in pro circuit events.
Riffa are also in the running to qualify through this method with 23 victories on their record. The others are Hangzhou with 34 wins, Partizan from Serbia with 27 wins, Vienna and Lugano from Switzerland with 23 wins each, and Skyliners with 22 wins.
Should there be a tie after the Bucharest Masters, the teams will be separated by their season-win percentage and then by overall team ranking.
From these three qualifiers through performance slots, the top squad will compete directly in the Manama Final’s main draw, while the other two will play in the qualifying draw along with Seef.
Once all the 14 participating teams are confirmed following the upcoming event in Romania, a draw will be held on November 13 to determine the pools for the main draw’s preliminary round as well as the match-ups in qualifying.
Seef have competed in this year’s Fiba 3x3 World Tour with six different players, including Sayed Mohammed Hameed, Sadeq Shukrallah, Nasser Al Mosawi, Hasan Fahad, and Serbian Bogdan Dragovic. Riffa, on the other hand, have played with their Belgian trio of Dennis Donkor, Jonas Foerts, Vic van Oosterwyck, and Andrej Cuyvers, along with Serbian Milos Antic and Bahraini Mohammed Kowayed.
The Manama Final represents the pinnacle of the Fiba 3x3 World Tour’s 2025 season, bringing together the year’s most consistent and dominant teams. Manama, which has become a favourite destination on the 3x3 calendar, will once again provide a world-class stage for the game’s biggest stars to compete for glory.
It will be the third year in a row that international street basketball’s biggest series will be coming to the kingdom, but the first time the season finale will be held.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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