SINGAPORE: The Singapore men’s team is set to face a tough battle in the upcoming FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, as they have been drawn in Pool A alongside the top-seeded team and 2023 champion Mongolia. In the women’s category, Singapore is in Pool C with the third-seeded team and last year’s quarter-finalist Japan.
The main competition will be held from Mar 28 onwards, while the knock-out stages, including the semi-finals and finals, will be held on Mar 30. Unseeded teams will play in the qualifying matches from Mar 26 to 27. All matches will be held at the OCBC Square, Singapore Sports Hub.
There are three teams in each group in the round-robin stage, with the final spot in the group to be decided in the qualifying round.
Debutant Bahrain will compete against Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, and Guam in the Qualifying Draw A for the final spot in the men’s Pool A. In the women’s category, Kazakhstan, Iran, Vietnam, and Maldives will battle in the qualifier, with the group winner joining Singapore as the main competitor.
Singapore men’s team are scheduled to play their first match on Mar 28 against the winner from the qualifier at 3:45 pm before taking on Mongolia at 6:55 pm. The Singapore women’s team matches will face Japan at 3:20 pm, with their second match to be played at 7 pm.
Singapore will enter the competition with its highest ever men’s and women’s combined federation ranking in Asia, standing at fourth behind China, Mongolia, and Japan and at no. 22 in the world.
“It’s always an honour to represent Singapore, and we’re looking forward to competing in such a big tournament in front of home fans at the OCBC Square. If I’m selected, this will be my first time competing in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup.
“We’ve been preparing well for the past year and even achieved our highest combined federation ranking ever, so we’re excited to show what we’ve been working on. We hope to put on a good show for our fellow Singaporeans,” said Singapore women’s player Jermaine Lim.
FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2025 will be the first major competition in an important year for Team Singapore, ahead of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand at the end of the year.
“The FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup is an important tournament for us every year, but especially so this year, and we are excited to be competing at home again. This tournament will be crucial for us as we get to see where we stand among our rivals in the region,” said Singapore’s national 3×3 basketball head coach Lazar Rasic.
Head coach Rasic, who will be leading Team Singapore for the second consecutive year, emphasised the importance of accumulating competitive experience.
He explained that the team requires as many competition opportunities as possible to continually refine their skills and elevate the standard of basketball in Singapore, with the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2025 serving as a valuable platform to achieve this objective.
“Last year’s edition was my first tournament with the team and the first time for a lot of players as well. We learnt many valuable lessons from it, and we will use them to improve on our performance this year.”
“Our opponents are all very strong, but we will prepare well and put up a good fight against them,” added Rasic, who has set a semi-final target for Singapore at this year’s SEA Games in an interview with the Straits Times after his first briefing with Team Singapore in 2013 when he was appointed as the head coach for the 3×3 national teams.
In 2024, both the Singapore men’s and women’s teams exited the competition in the round-robin stage. The men’s team lost to Iran (12-21) and China (15-21), while the women’s team suffered defeats against China (12-20) and Chinese Taipei (8-18).
Basketball fans will enjoy free entry to selected sessions on Mar 26 and 27 on a first-come-first-served basis until full capacity is reached. In a first for the FIBA 3xe Asia Cup, courtside seats that bring fans much closer to the action are also available. Tickets are priced from $5 (excluding booking fee) and are on sale now.