Kenya 3x3 baskeball teams bag tickets for 2026 Youth Olympics

Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) vice chairman Hilmi Ali has confirmed that Kenya’s men’s and women’s 3x3 basketball U-21 teams have qualified for 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics.

The teams have also bagged tickets for the 2026 Commonwealth Games following an impressive showing at the FIBA Africa Youth Nations League in Algiers, Algeria, where they both bagged bronze medals.

The six-stop continental tour, held from August 1–7, brought together five nations Algeria, Egypt, Benin, Kenya, and Comoros with Kenya fielding U-21 squads in both categories.

"Our teams managed to finish in third in both categories in the six-day competition. Finishing third has enabled Kenya to rise to position three in the 3x3 African ranking and that has helped us qualify for the Youth Olympics next year in Senegal," said Hilmi Ali.

Kenya started brightly in Stop 1, storming into both finals. The women fell 21–12 to Egypt, while the men narrowly lost 22–18 to hosts Algeria. Pool stage wins over Benin (18–9 for the women, 19–11 for the men) showed their competitive edge.

In Stop 2, the men again reached the final but fell 19–12 to Egypt. The women bounced back for third place after a dominant 21–5 win over Comoros. Stop 3 saw both sides settle for third, with the women edging Benin 22–6 and the men squeezing past them 15–14.

The breakthrough came in Stop 4, where both teams struck gold. The women edged Algeria 17–15 in a tense final, while the men overpowered Comoros 19–13. This double triumph became the highlight of Kenya’s campaign and proof they could challenge the continent’s best.

Stops 5 and 6 tested their depth, yielding third and fourth-place finishes. Highlights included the women’s 14–8 win over Benin and the men’s 22–16 triumph against Comoros.

When the dust settled, both teams finished third overall, the men with 450 points and the women with 460 — behind Egypt and Algeria. While they narrowly missed qualification for the FIBA U23 3x3 World Cup, Kenya’s global ranking jumped from 38th to 25th, and they now sit third in Africa behind Algeria and Benin.

"By finishing third in both teams at the FIBA Africa Youth Nations League in Algiers, Kenya has qualified directly for next year's Commonwealth Games in Scotland. But now our challenge is to prepare well for the LA 2028 Olympic qualifying tournament," added Hilmi.