A total of 23 countries from four regions of the world are confirmed to take part in the 3x3 basketball event for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics, scheduled to take place in Senegal from November 6-9.
Apart from host Senegal, which is participating in both men's and women's events, the other 22 countries are only allowed to send 3x3 men's or women's teams, according to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 3x3 website.
Countries eligible to participate must be in the top 50 of the FIBA youth rankings as of December 1, 2025.
In addition to ranking, the qualification process also takes into account the principle of regional equality, so that representation across Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe is maintained.
The seeding of the matches will be determined based on the ranking update as of January 1, 2026. The competition format begins with a group phase with four groups of three teams each for the first two days.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals on November 8, before the semifinals and medal matches are held the following day.
