How are teams ranked in a 3x3 pool?
I · Intermediate · Officials, results and differences · 7 of 7By wins first. Teams level on wins are separated by the results between them, then by the average number of points they scored per game. If they are still level, the team with the highest seeding goes ahead. A game counts for at most 21 points in the average.
How it works
- Step 1: most wins. Where pools have played different numbers of games, the share of games won.
- Step 2: head-to-head. Only wins and losses count, and only inside one pool.
- Step 3: most points scored on average, leaving out forfeit wins.
- The cap: each game counts for at most 21 points, even if the real score was higher.
- Still level: the team with the highest seeding.
- Once each: each step is used once. Teams still level after a step go on to the next.
- Seeding: by ranking points, taken as the sum of the team's three highest-ranked players before the event. National teams are seeded by the federation ranking.
- Tours: a series of linked events has its own order: the final event, then tour points, then wins, then average points scored.
The glossary has 3x3 basketball and playing time.
Tricky cases
Does the margin of victory matter?
No. The third step is the average of points scored, not the points difference.
A team wins 22 to 15. How many points count towards its average?
Twenty-one. Each game is capped at 21.
A team wins by forfeit. Does that game count in its average?
No. Forfeit wins are left out of the winner's average. The team that forfeited has a zero counted.
Three teams are level on wins and each has beaten one of the others. What separates them?
Average points scored, since the head-to-head step cannot. If that is level too, seeding.
Why the rule exists
Pools are small and games are short, so ties on wins are common. Using points scored, and not the difference between points for and against, rewards attacking play and fits a sport where a game stops at 21. The cap means a 22 scored with a last two-pointer is not worth more than a 21.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FIBA 3x3 rules | Wins, head-to-head, average points scored, seeding | Appendix D.1 |
| Tours | The tour order above | Appendix D.1 |
| Five-a-side basketball | Classification points, then head-to-head and points difference | ../5x5/ set |
From the rule book
FIBA, Official 3x3 Basketball Rules 2026 (valid as of 1 January 2026), Articles 20.2.1 and 21.2.1, and Appendix D. Official document:FIBA Official 3x3 Basketball Rules (PDF).