MANAMA (Bahrain) - FIBA’s Central Board has convened in Bahrain on the eve of the FIBA Mid-Term Congress, following their attendance at the highly anticipated FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Qualifiers draw in Doha, Qatar, the host nation for the men's flagship event.
The following topics were discussed:
FIBA Basketball World Cups - 2026 and 2027
The Central Board received reports on the preparations for both the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026, which will be held in Germany, and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 to be played in Qatar.
The Central Board approved the bidding process for the next two World Cups with the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2030 process to be launched in quarter three of 2025 and potential awarding as of December 2025, and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2031 to be launched in quarter four of 2025 and potentially awarded as soon as next year.
To enhance the prominence of FIBA’s flagship women’s tournament, the Central Board has approved the rescheduling of future FIBA Women's Basketball World Cups to the period of November - December, with the 2030 edition set to take place from November 27 to December 8, 2030.
Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028
Preparation updates for the LA28 Olympic Games were presented to the Central Board for both basketball and 3x3 basketball, highlighting the recent increase in the number of 3x3 teams, which will now feature an expanded roster of 12 teams per gender in Los Angeles.
FIBA U19 Basketball World Cups 2025 and Continental Cups 2025
The Central Board received updates on the final preparations for the upcoming World and Continental events scheduled for this summer, which include:
FIBA Youth World Cups 2025: FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup June 28 to July 6 in Lausanne, Switzerland FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup July 12 to 20 in Brno, Czechia
FIBA Women’s Continental Cups 2025: FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 June 18 to 29 in Brno, Czechia; Hamburg, Germany; Bologna, Italy; Piraeus, Greece FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2025 June 28 to July 6 in Santiago, Chile FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2025 July 13 to 20 in Shenzhen, China FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2025 July 25 to August 3 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
FIBA Continental Cups 2025: FIBA Asia Cup 2025 August 5 to 17 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia FIBA AfroBasket 2025 August 12 to 25 in Luanda, Angola FIBA AmeriCup 2025 August 22 to 31 in Managua, Nicaragua FIBA EuroBasket 2025 August 27 to September 14 in Limassol, Cyprus; Tampere, Finland; Katowice, Poland and Riga, Latvia
Additionally, the Central Board has approved the 2027 - 2031 Men’s Calendar, including the following dates for the International Windows:
November 22 to 30, 2027
February 21 to 29, 2028
November 20 to 28, 2028
February 19 to 27, 2029
November 19 to 27, 2029
February 18 to 26, 2030
July 1 to 9, 2030
August 26 to September 3, 2030
November 18 to 26, 2030
February 17 to 25, 2031
Club Competitions
The Central Board received a report on the recent EuroLeague Women Final Six, marking the first time the league had used this format for the finals. The Final Six concluded on April 13, in Zaragoza, Spain, with ZVVZ USK Praha claiming victory, their second title after defeating CBK Mersin. The 24-25 season has had another stunning year of digital growth and record-breaking levels of fan engagement, with levels continuing in an upward trajectory.
3x3
Reports were presented on 3x3’s National Team Competitions and Professional Circuit, including the FIBA 3x3 World Tour, which tipped off on April 26 with the Utsunomiya Opener 2025,and the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series, which began on May 2 in Chengdu, China.
The Central Board has approved the change in the FIBA 3x3 Federation Ranking. Starting in 2026, the 3x3 Federation Ranking will be calculated based on a 24-month period, instead of the previous 12-month window, meaning that the Road to LA28 starts on December 1, 2025. This adjustment ensures a more consistent and representative evaluation of national team performance over time.
FIBA Plus
The Central Board received an update on FIBA Plus, emphasizing the ongoing support for 35 National Federations in 2025, as well as the launch of six new strategic roadmaps for participating federations.
The Rwandan Amateur Basketball Federation (FERWABA) has recently completed its FIBA Plus workshop. Building on the benefits gained from FIBA Plus in 2019, the federation aimed to leverage the expertise and skills gained from their previous workshop and is now developing a dynamic new plan for the sport in the country for the 2026-2030 period.
Other Matters
Following the recommendation of the expert group focused on Young Players and the NCAA created in December 2024, the Central Board has defined three objectives to maintain a sustainable ecosystem, focusing on helping players make well-informed decisions, increase availability of NCAA players for their national team and to help protect clubs’ investments into player development. The decision was made to engage formally the NCAA with the goal of treating moves from players outside the USA to NCAA colleges in the same way as international transfers between FIBA clubs, using a Letter of Clearance.
The Central Board also approved the FIBA 2024 Consolidated Financial Statements.
Furthermore, the status of Russia and Belarus has been extended until the next FIBA Executive Committee meeting which will take place in August 2025.
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