New Zealand University Teams Impress at FISU Oceania 3x3 Qualifier

Three New Zealand university teams travelled to the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia, to contest the 2026 FISU Oceania 3x3 Continental Qualifying Tournament, with places at the 2026 FISU University World Cup 3x3 Basketball in Macau on the line.

Qualification for the Oceania event was earned through the 2026 UTSNZ National Tertiary 3x3 Championships. Lincoln University qualified after winning the men's title, while the University of Waikato secured the women's berth after claiming the national championship. Massey University also competed in the national men's tournament finishing fourth.

Lincoln University Men

Lincoln University made an outstanding start to the tournament, opening with a 16–11 victory over fellow New Zealand side Massey University before recording a dominant 21–5 win over host team Sunshine Coast University.

Despite pool-play defeats to Deakin University (10–21) and the University of Sydney (14–
21), Lincoln did enough to progress to the medal rounds.

The team responded superbly in the semi-finals, upsetting Deakin University 21–9 to book a place in the gold medal match. There they met a strong University of Sydney side, eventually finishing with the silver medal after a 21–13 result in favour of the Australians.

Lincoln's runner-up finish was an excellent achievement and reflected the quality of the New Zealand men's national champions against some of Australia's leading university programmes.

University of Waikato Women

The University of Waikato women entered the tournament as New Zealand champions and immediately showed why, defeating the University of Sydney 22–13 before backing that up with a convincing 20–8 victory over Sunshine Coast University.

Their unbeaten pool campaign earned Waikato a place in the championship final, where they again faced the University of Sydney. In a closely contested decider, Sydney prevailed 16–12, with Waikato claiming a well-deserved silver medal and demonstrating the strength of New Zealand women's university basketball on the international stage.

Massey University Men

Making their FISU Oceania debut, Massey University faced a challenging draw against some of Australia's strongest university teams.

After opening with an all-New Zealand contest against Lincoln University, Massey battled hard before going down 16–11. The team then faced eventual bronze medallists Deakin University, before narrowly missing victory against the University of Sydney, falling 20–18 in one of the closest games of the tournament.

Massey completed pool play against host institution Sunshine Coast University, continuing to compete strongly throughout the event and gaining invaluable experience against high-quality
international opposition.

The tournament highlighted the growing strength of tertiary 3x3 basketball in New Zealand, with both the Lincoln University men and the University of Waikato women reaching their respective finals and finishing with silver medals.

UTSNZ congratulates all three teams on proudly representing New Zealand at the FISU Oceania Continental Qualifier. Their performances continue to demonstrate the strength of the UTSNZ National Tertiary Championship Series as a pathway to international university competition and reinforce the growing standard of university basketball across Aotearoa.