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jun 05 2026Spain will not advance to the knockout rounds of the 3x3 World Championship in Warsaw. The Polish event, held next to the Palace of Culture and Science, ended earlier than expected for both national teams—men's and women's—in a result that leaves a bitter taste for a format that had built considerable momentum in recent years.
The hardest blow came in the men's bracket. Spain was defending the world title won last summer with the same roster of Iván Aurrecoechea, Diego de Blas, Guim Expósito, and Carlos Martínez, but this time could not find continuity. The team started with a clear victory over Australia 21-12 and then fell to Serbia 12-16, a setback still manageable within a demanding group. However, the second day finished derailing their path with losses to Austria and Madagascar, the latter by a tight 20-19, which eliminated the Spanish team from the playoffs.
The Spanish team could not sustain the level that had taken them to the top a year earlier. Physical issues for Aurrecoechea, compounded by a problem with his shoes during a pre-tournament training session, were a significant setback, but the final record of one win and three losses left little room for excuses. For a team that arrived as the defending world champion, elimination in the group stage represents a serious wake-up call.
The reading was different in the women's tournament. Spain entered the World Championship in the midst of a rebuilding process following the retirements of Vega Gimeno and Sandra Ygueravide, two pivotal names in recent Spanish 3x3 history. Gimeno moved into the role of 3x3 coordinator at the Spanish Basketball Federation, while Ygueravide took over as head coach of the women's national team.
With Gracia Alonso de Armiño as the only survivor from the previous roster, the team presented a renewed lineup alongside Ceci Muhate, Txell Alarcón, and Alba Prieto. The debut was complicated, with a loss to Hungary 21-12 and a victory over Mongolia 11-13. Then came a noteworthy win against Australia 20-18, but the combination of results did not cooperate. Spain needed to beat the United States to stay alive and competed until the end, though ultimately fell 18-21.
The women's elimination carries less drama than the men's. The group showed improvement, displayed competitive capacity, and closed the tournament with better impressions than it had conveyed in its opener. Still, the overall balance of the World Championship demands deep reflection. Spain arrived in Warsaw as the defending men's world champion and women's Olympic silver medalist, and leaves without representation in the title matches.
The setback does not erase the recent trajectory nor does it compromise on its own the Olympic horizon for Los Angeles 2028, but it does mark a clear step backward. Spanish 3x3 will need to analyze what happened, adjust course, and regain momentum after a World Championship that ended far too soon.
