Teams confirmed for FIBA 3x3 World Tour Utsunomiya Final 2019

Sunday, October 20, 2019

UTSUNOMIYA (Japan) - The field is set for the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final 2019, which will take place in Utsunomiya, Japan on November 2-3, 2019.

A total of 8 teams were still competing for the last 2 tickets for the World Tour Final over the weekend during the 11th and last Masters of the season in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on October 18-19, 2019.

To qualify, teams had to finish inside the Top 12 in the World Tour season standings and Team Jeddah's 6th place in their home Masters was enough for the Saudi to jump to 11th overall. Lausanne TNV (SUI) held on to the last spot despite Utsunomiya's heroics on the Jeddah waterfront. The Japanese had to reach the final to qualify for the World Tour Final. They knocked out World number 6 Sakiai Gulbele (LTU) in the quarter-finals but fell just short in the semi-finals (16-20) against eventual winners Riga Ghetto (LAT).

Here's the list of the 12 participating teams sorted by tour standings:
1. Liman (SRB) 755 pts.
2. Riga Ghetto (LAT) 565 pts.
3. Novi Sad (SRB) 555 pts.
4. Piran (SLO) 445 pts.
5. NY Harlem (USA) 380 pts.
6. Princeton (USA) 377 pts.
7. Edmonton (CAN) 329 pts.
8. Sakiai Gulbele (LTU) 265pts.
9. Amsterdam (NED) 265 pts.
10. Zemun (SRB) 195 pts.
11. Jeddah (KSA) 145 pts.
12. Lausanne TNV (SUI) 125 pts.

Some notes:

Team with most Masters appearances this season: Liman with 11 (played in every Masters)
Team with most Masters titles: Riga Ghetto with 3 (Doha, Prague and Jeddah)
Team with highest winning percentage: Novi Sad with 77%
Teams who won a Masters this year: 8 (Riga Ghetto 3, Novi Sad 2, Liman, Piran, NY Harlem, Princeton, Edmonton, Sakiai Gulbele)
Teams who won the World Tour before: 2 (Novi Sad 3, Zemun) [Ljubljana (SLO) won it twice and San Juan (PUR) once but neither of them made it to the Final this year)
Teams returning after last year's Final: 7 (Liman, Riga Ghetto, Novi Sad, Piran, Princeton, Amsterdam, Zemun)
Teams who will make their World Tour Final debut: 2 (Sakiai Gulbele and Jeddah), 3 if you consider Edmonton a new team (a team Edmonton played in the 1st edition of the World Tour Final back in 2012 and featured current Edmonton player Jordan Baker)

The World Tour standings before the Final are not only used to determine the 12 finalists. They are also the basis for a prize money bonus for the teams who have had consistent success on the World Tour this season. The top 8 teams in the standings received the following prize money:

1. Liman 60,000 USD
2. Riga Ghetto 48,000 USD
3. Novi Sad 38,000 USD
4. Piran 30,000 USD
5. NY Harlem 24,000 USD
6. Princeton 18,000 USD
7. Edmonton 14,000 USD
8. Sakiai Gulbele 10,000 USD

This does not include all the prize money these teams have earned by performing in Masters and Challengers this season, the prize money they will get depending on their final standings in the World Tour Final and all other endorsements. Liman have already earned a total of 329,500 USD this season in prize money and travel allowance.