Gangurrus face early World Cup reality check

02 Jun 2026

The Australian Gangurrus men’s side, with a distinct NBL flavour, opened their 2026 3x3 World Cup campaign on Monday AEST.

By

NBL.com.au

Australia’s men’s Gangurrus side has opened its 2026 FIBA 3x3 World Cup campaign in Poland with back-to-back losses on Monday AEST.

The Adam Forde-coached outfit fell to Spain and Austria, going down 21-12 in its opener before suffering a 21-14 defeat just a few hours later.

Former Cairns Taipans trio Alex Higgins-Titsha, Lachlan Barker and Jonah Antonio, alongside NBL24 champion Jarred Bairstow, featured for Australia across both contests, with Higgins-Titsha and Antonio scoring three points apiece against Austria.

The Gangurrus will now regroup ahead of Wednesday’s matches against Madagascar (5.55pm AEST) and Serbia (7.45pm AEST).

Meanwhile, Australia’s women’s Gangurrus team begins its campaign on Tuesday.

Coached by 2001 NBL champion Damon Lowery, the squad features 2024 Olympians Amy Atwell and Marena Whittle, newly signed Townsville Fire wing Emma Clarke and incoming Southside Melbourne Flyers forward Hannah Hank.

The Australians face Mongolia (6.30pm AEST Tuesday) and the United States (8.45pm AEST Tuesday), before taking on Spain (5.05pm AEST Thursday) and Hungary (6.55pm AEST Thursday).

All matches will be broadcast live on Kayo Sports and the FIBA YouTube Channel.