The FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup 2026 got off to a flying start in Wuhan, with Australia men and Spain women among the teams making an early statement on the opening day. Both national teams finished the opening day with perfect 2-0 records, while Australia\u2019s Griffin Gerald Biwer and Spain\u2019s Elena Rodr\u00edguez Dom\u00ednguez emerged as two of the standout performers of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Australia made the perfect start to their Men’s Pool C campaign, grinding out two hard-fought victories against Poland and France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their opening game saw them edge Poland 21-18, with Griffin Gerald Biwer leading the way with eight points and an impressive 10 rebounds. Australia then faced France in one of the most dramatic games of the opening day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two teams could not be separated at 21-21 in regulation, setting up the first overtime game of the tournament. Biwer once again stepped up when it mattered most, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds, five highlights and calmly knocking down the game-winning free throw in overtime to seal a 22-21 victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That gave Australia a 2-0 record and put them in an excellent position heading into the rest of pool play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biwer was one of the biggest individual stories of Day 1. Across Australia’s two games, he scored 18 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, combining production on both ends of the court with a decisive moment when his team needed it most. Australia will now look to carry that momentum into their next pool games as they aim to make a deep run in Wuhan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spain were equally impressive on the women’s side, overcoming Tonga comfortably before edging Latvia in a thrilling second game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spain opened their Pool C campaign with a dominant 21-5 victory over Tonga, with Elena Rodr\u00edguez Dom\u00ednguez producing a monster all-around performance. She scored 11 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as Spain immediately set the tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second game was a much tighter affair. Spain and Latvia traded blows throughout, but Spain held their nerve to claim a 16-15 victory. Jana Nogu\u00e9s Mart\u00edn led Spain with seven points, while the result completed a perfect 2-0 opening day for the Spanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That puts Spain in an early position of strength in Pool C after a day that showcased both their offensive firepower and ability to win a close game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rodr\u00edguez Dom\u00ednguez was one of the standout players of the women’s competition on Day 1. Her double-five effort against Tonga immediately put her on the radar, and she finished the opening day with 19 points and 22 rebounds across Spain’s two victories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Spain needed just one possession to separate themselves from Latvia in their second game, the dominant opening performance against Tonga gave the team an important foundation. Rodr\u00edguez Dom\u00ednguez’s production on the glass was particularly significant as Spain began their campaign with two wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Australia and Spain were not the only teams to finish unbeaten. Serbia and the Netherlands in the Men’s Tournament along with France and Uganda in the Women’s Tournament also posted 2-0 records on Day 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
France women opened with a dominant 21-4 win over the Philippines before beating hosts China 21-16, with El\u00e9na Zemoura combining for 14 points and 17 rebounds across the two victories. Serbia men also went 2-0 after defeating Kazakhstan 21-11 and Tonga 21-7, while the Netherlands men defeated Tonga and Germany to start their Pool A campaign perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uganda women meanwhile impressed in Pool C, defeating Madagascar 14-7 before overcoming Tonga 15-6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were also plenty of tight contests, including Algeria’s 19-18 victory over Kenya and China’s dramatic 21-20 win over Egypt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup 2026 got off to a flying start in Wuhan, with Australia men<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[94,52],"class_list":["post-15791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-3-x-3","tag-basketball"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t