How far is Uganda 3x3 from the Olympics?

How far is Uganda 3×3 from the Olympics?

Uganda 3×3 Women are currently ranked number 1 in Africa and as things stand, they would qualify for the Olympics. What will it take?

Avitus Ngabirano

August 4, 2026

5–8 minutes

FIBA 3×3, FUBA, LA 28, Olympics, Uganda 3×3, Uganda Olympic Committee

Following the historic Silver medal win at the 2026 commonwealth games in Glasgow, Uganda’s attention has turned towards the qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Qualification for the Olympics will be running till 14th May but for Uganda, 1st December is the most important date.

How to qualify?

There are multiple ways of qualifying for the Olympics but the most important of them all will be the first. It states that the number one ranked federation in each continent by 1st December will automatically qualify for LA28.

The other ways will be through 4 qualifying stops in which the remaining 6 countries will be book their slots at the coveted tournament.

How far is Uganda from qualification?

At the moment, Uganda sits top of the African ranking with 668,959 points. Egypt comes second with 655,067, Algeria third with 548,626, Kenya next with 548,418 and then Benin with 483,704. The four countries are the closest rivals to Uganda and they are all pushing to secure the automatic ticket to the 2028 Olympics.

Between now and 1st December 2027, there is a lot of work to be done and what is done will determine during this period will determine if Uganda can finish on top. However, the journey already started and success has been achieved.

Team Uganda pose with their medals after winning Silver at the 2026 Commonwealth games in Glasgow. L-R Jane Asinde Perus Nyamwenge, Nicholas Natuhereza (Coach), Jamila Nansikombi and Melissa Akullu

What has been done so far

Since 1st December, 2025, a number of 3×3 events have been played and the majority have been successful.

The most successful event has been the FIBA 3×3 women’s series in Marseille where Uganda finished in 6th place. That is the highest ever position that Uganda has finished at in the Women’s series. For finishing 6th, each player that participated in the stop got 6,760 points which is huge. To put it into context, those points alone are 5 times more than the points any Ugandan player made in the stop in Poitiers.

In Poitiers, Uganda finished in 13th place and each player got 1,300 points. Before that, Uganda played in Orleans and they finished in 10th place. The points garnered for that were 2080 each.

Despite a rocky first 2 stops, the final stop for Uganda was excellent and a combined 38,155 was collected. This was massive when you think about the fact that a total of 22,412 points was collected in the first 2 stops.

The points wold have been even more but Uganda only fielded 3 players for the first stop in Orleans. This means that thousands of points were left and that could come back to bite Uganda.

FIBA 3×3 Nations League, Africa East

In order to qualify for the Commonwealth games, the U23 teams played a massive role as they won the 2024 and 2025 tournaments. In 2026, they once again delivered the goods.

Uganda won 4 of the 6 stops at the competition and this helped Uganda qualify for the 3×3 World Cup. Most importantly, since Kenya was also at the competition, Uganda managed to get a big points advantage against their competitors.

Team Uganda that played at the FIBA 3X3 Youth Nations League, Africa East. L-R Sylvia Nantongo, Mary Priscillar Nambogo, Tamasha Nsubuga, Martina Anyango, Sylvia Nakituuka, Angella Namirimu (Coach), and Shillah Lamunu

Women’s Series Qualifiers

FUBA organized a high ranking event in which many athletes competed. Since 20 athletes are considered in the rankings, Uganda got many players who scored high and who knows, they could be able to count.

FIBA 3×3 Africa Cup 2025

This event will have a very big impact on who qualifies to the Olympics and it was the worst tournament for Uganda. The team did not win any game and finished in 9th place. What made things worse for Uganda is that their competitors, Kenya and Egypt all finished high, third and second respectively. The points advantage that the 2 got on Uganda were massive and that will count for much in the overall ranking as we lead into the Olympics qualification.

What needs to be done

There is a lot of time and a lot can change. Remember, this race is not just about Uganda but also their competitors. As you look at what Uganda can do, we also have to look at what the competitors are doing.

In 2026, there are very crucial tournaments that could help Uganda stay ahead heading into 2026.

FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations league, Africa North

In a bid to take the players to high ranking tournaments, Uganda fielded a U21 team at the Youth nation league in Tunisia. This event is very huge because Uganda, Kenya, Algeria, Egypt and Benin, all who are vying for the Olympics spot, are there.

The Uganda team has to make sure that they win as many stops as they can. They already bagged stop 1 which is massive and more will expected from them. If Uganda can sweep the tournament, they will be in a strong position to close the year on top. Most importantly, they will have created a huge advantage over their competitors.

Uganda U21 team pose for a photo after winning stop 1 of the FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League in Monastir, Tunisia

U23 3×3 World cup

This is a very important competition and Uganda has to make sure they perform better. In 2024, Uganda did not win a game but in 2025, they won 1 game and finished in 14th place. This time around, more will be expected. If Uganda can make it to the quarterfinals, that will be massive.

FIBA 3×3 Africa Cup 2026

In 2025, the performance was terrible but 2026 will be an opportunity to make a statement. All the competing teams know that this tournament will be massive and it will count so much. That fact that it is a world cup qualifier and also a path for entry into the Olympic qualifying tournaments, the stakes will be very high.

Uganda has to make sure that they field a very strong team in order to right the wrongs that happened in 2025. Also, if they qualify for the World Cup, that will be another opportunity to play in a very high ranking event. This will be the final major tournament of the year and you have to finish as strong as you can.

Team Uganda that played at the 2025 FIBA 3×3 Women’s series stop in Marseille, France. L-R Jane Asinde, Leslie Vorpahl, Melissa Akullu and Perus Nyamwenge.

2027

A lot more work will be done in 2027 but this time, we will have to be looking at the opponents. If the federation can identify that 20-25 players whose ranking could be used and they make sure they play in major events, it will go a long way. For example, if some Ugandan layers can play for some teams in the women’s series, that will be massive.

Also, we have to make sure the U23 dominate the Nations League and once again field a U21 team, who also must dominate. If Uganda can qualify for the 2027 U23 world cup, that will also be massive. The other thing is, Uganda has to make sure they win the 2025 Africa Cup so as to play at the 2026 World Cup. The women’s series will also be another avenue. Having finished strong in 2026 in Marseille, building onto that is what is expected. A single win or even a podium finish at the women’s series will propel the team to great heights.

Remember, it is not just about what Uganda does but also what the competitors are doing. Each and very Federation will be anxiously waiting for that 1st December deadline.