3x3 basketball returns at Paris 2024 for its second Olympic appearance. Read on to learn more about the format that will be used for the men's and women's tournaments at the upcoming Olympic Games.

How many teams are in the 3x3 basketball Olympic tournaments?

In both the men's and women's 3x3 tournaments, there will be eight teams competing. For more details on the qualification process, check out our article on Olympic qualifying for 3x3 basketball.

What is the format for 3x3 basketball Olympic tournaments?

For both men and women, the tournament will start off with pool play. This will function as a round robin, with all eight teams playing each other over the course of the round. (Each team will play seven games total.)

After pool play, all eight teams will be ranked based on their records. The top-two teams will advance directly to the semifinals, and the bottom-two teams will be eliminated from the tournament. The other-four teams will compete in the play-in round (3rd vs. 6th, 4th vs. 5th), with the winners moving on to the semifinal.

The winners of the two semifinal games will advance to the gold-medal game, while the losers will compete in the bronze-medal game.

How many minutes does each 3x3 basketball game last?

Each game has a 10-minute clock. The team with the highest score at the end of those 10 minutes will win the game, but the game can also end early if either team is first to reach 21 points.

In the event of a tie at the end of 10 minutes, there will be an overtime period where the first team to score two points is the winner.