XIONG’AN (China) – Lithuania (men) and the Netherlands (women) emerged victorious at the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup 2025 on September 21.
The men’s side of the tournament came down to Serbia and Lithuania, two of the most decorated nations in 3×3. This time, it was the Lithuanians that wrote the headlines. They took down Serbia 19 – 14 in a winners performance, finishing off a stellar run in the knockout rounds with a top-place finish. It has been quite the season for Lithuania’s 3×3 who won the Europe Cup less than a month ago. They now add a coveted U23 World Cup title into their list of accolades.
On the women’s side, France and the Netherlands battled it out in a marquee clash. The Dutch, who had won the competition in 2023 and earned runners up place in 2024, came out on top in 2025 to retain the crown. They grinded out a 17 – 13 win, finishing the tournament unbeaten and closing out the dream season for the Dutch women on a high.
In the third place games, Czechia delivered theatrics against Croatia. In a back-and-forth affair that went all the way to overtime, Josef Gale called game with a two to earn Czechia the third place win in dramatic fashion. Vojtěch Hajič was the engine for Czechia in the final however, scoring 11 points in their 17 – 15 victory.
On the women’s side, Spain took home the win in a heroic performance, being down to three players due to injury in the crucial game. Nevertheless, they handled business against Japan thanks to a mammoth 13-point effort from Marta Garcia and came away with an 18 – 12 victory to earn a place on the podium.
On the men’s side, the undeniable Rokas Jocys had been the man for Lithuania, coming in clutch multiple times in their run. He finished the tournament as their top scorer, a tally of 39 points. He earned the MVP award and would join the Men’s team of the tournament alongside Serbia’s Vuk Vukićević and Czechia’s Vojtěch Hajič who were the leading stars in their nation’s podium runs.
For the women, Dutch star Lotte Van Kruistum took the offensive lead for her side, while also being key defensively. She finished the tournament with 50 points, taking home MVP honors as well. She was joined on the women’s Team of the Tournament by France’s Vaciana Gomis and Spain’s Marta Garcia who were pivotal in their respective team’s earning podium spots.
Mens standings
Lithuania
Serbia
Czechia
Croatia
Latvia
Argentina
Italy
China
Mongolia
New Zealand
United States
Germany
Poland
Algeria
Qatar
France
Egypt
Iran
Venezuela
Fiji
Women’s standings
Netherlands
France
Spain
Japan
China
Czechia
United States
Poland
Italy
Germany
Chile
New Zealand
Philippines
Uganda
Egypt
Venezuela
Chinese Taipei
Mexico
Algeria
Fiji