Defending champions Kenya’s Under-23 national 3×3 basketball teams stumbled in their title defence as the 2025 FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League – Africa 1 tipped off on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Benin.  

Both the men’s and women’s teams settled for third-place finishes in Stop 1 of the six-leg championship.

Speaking to People Sports from Benin’s capital, Cotonou, Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) First Vice Chairman Hilmi Ali confirmed that both Kenyan sides were defeated in their opening matches, the men’s team narrowly falling 11-13 to Algeria, while the women’s team lost 7-12 to neighbours Uganda.

Ali explained that the tournament, which runs from June 3 to June 9, 2025, features national teams from countries including Algeria, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and hosts Benin.  

“Each day of the six-stop tournament is treated as an individual competition, with teams earning points daily,” he said.

Kenya’s men’s and women’s teams, each comprising six players, earned 70 points apiece in Stop 1.

The men’s category was won by Ivory Coast, who collected 100 points, while Uganda topped the women’s standings with an equal tally of 100 points. Both winners have five stops remaining.

Despite the setback, Ali expressed confidence that Kenya’s teams would bounce back in the remaining legs to defend their continental titles.

“The games are being played every day from 2 pm under this new FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League – Africa 1 format,” he said.

“It’s not a traditional tournament. Each participating country will play six separate ‘stop’ games, one each day. Every game is a standalone tournament with its own winner. The teams with the most wins across the six stops will qualify for the FIBA 3×3 World Championship,” Ali clarified.

Ali also noted that winners of the FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League – Africa 1 will earn the right to represent the continent at the upcoming World Championship, which forms part of the qualification pathway for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

He recalled that during the previous edition of the FIBA Africa 3×3 Nations League, both Kenya’s men’s and women’s teams were crowned continental champions and represented Africa at the World Championship in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.