Optimism for Uganda Ahead of the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup

Optimism for Uganda Ahead of the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup

Uganda will be making their third consecutive FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup appearance in Wuhan china and their is a lot of optimism.

Avitus Ngabirano

September 14, 2026

2–3 minutes

3×3 Basketball, FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup, uganda

The Uganda U23 women’s team will be participating in their third consecutive FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup. There is a lot of optimism for Uganda ahead of the 2026 edition which is set to take place in Wuhan China, from 15-19 September.

The ladies qualified for the World Cup after winning the Youth Nations league conference that was held in Mombasa, Kenya. At that event, Uganda won 4 of the 6 stops and made it to yet another 3×3 U23 World Cup.

Why Ugandan should be optimistic

Experience

Team Uganda will be playing at their third consecutive U23 world cup. All the 4 players ( Martina Anyango, Sylivia Nakituuka, Mary Priscillar Nambogo and Shillah Lamunu) have been at this stage before. The quartet has played numerous games together at a high level and if they can translate that experience into win the game, Uganda should perform well.

The four have played at the U23 World Cup, the 3×3 Women’s series and Youth Nations league. They are no strangers to the big stage. Mary Priscillar Nambogo and Shillah Lamunu will be playing at their third World Cup.

Easier group

Uganda is in group C with Madagascar, Tonga, Spain and Latvia. This group is easier that what Uganda had in the last 2 editions. In 2025, Uganda beat Fiji 21-3. That showed how ruthless the team can be when they meet teams they are better than.

If Uganda can destroy both Madagascar and Tonga, then they will know that a win against Spain or Latvia could potentially see them through to the next stage. The most positive thing is that Uganda will start their tournament against Tonga and Madagascar on day one. If they can secure those wins with high scores, they will know what is needed in their final 2 group games.

Remember, the top 2 teams in the pool will be advancing to the quarterfinals.

Team Uganda playing under the name Kampala at the 2026 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series in Baku, Azerbaijan (L-R) Martina Anyango, Sylivia Nakituuka, Shillah Lamunu, Mary Priscillar Nambogo

Fixtures

Sep 15, 2026

Uganda vs Madagascar 9:25 am

Uganda vs Tonga 11:30 am

Sep 17, 2026

Uganda vs Spain 5;50 am

Uganda vs Latvia 8:20 am

In 2024, Uganda lost all their games and finished 19th out of 20 teams. They averaged 7.8 points. The performance was better in 2025, Uganda won 1 of the 4 group games and finished 14th with an average of 13 points. The performance in 2026 is expected to be much better and a quarterfinals appearance is highly plausible