Nigeria will make history at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after being confirmed as one of the countries set to compete in the men’s 3×3 basketball event for the first time.

Commonwealth Sport confirmed Nigeria’s participation on Tuesday while releasing the list of qualified nations for the basketball competitions, which will be held at the Scottish Event Campus from July 24 to 29, 2026.

The announcement marks a major step forward for Nigerian basketball, especially as the country did not feature when 3×3 basketball made its Commonwealth Games debut at Birmingham 2022. The fast-paced discipline returns for its second appearance at the Games after an impressive debut four years ago.

For the Glasgow edition, the competition has been expanded from eight teams per gender to 12, underlining the growing popularity and global reach of the half-court format.

Nigeria will compete in the men’s tournament alongside Australia, the Cayman Islands, Fiji, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, hosts Scotland and Singapore, with one European qualification spot still to be decided.

The women’s event will feature Australia, the Cayman Islands, Fiji, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Singapore, Tonga and Uganda, with a European nation yet to be confirmed.

Nigeria is among the new faces in the men’s competition, along with Guyana and Malaysia, while Uganda will make its debut in the women’s event. Several teams, including Australia, Kenya, New Zealand and Scotland, return after competing at Birmingham 2022.

Australia will arrive in Glasgow aiming to build on its strong showing at the last Games, where it claimed silver in the men’s competition and bronze in the women’s event.

3×3 basketball is played by two teams of three on a single hoop, with a 12-second shot clock that keeps the game flowing at a rapid pace. Matches last just 10 minutes or end once a team reaches 21 points, making it one of the most exciting and spectator-friendly formats in modern basketball.

The draw and match schedule for the 3×3 basketball competition will be released later in the year, while details of the 3×3 wheelchair basketball event are also expected in the coming months.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will run from July 23 to August 2 and feature 10 sports across four major venues in Glasgow, including Scotstoun Stadium, the Scottish Event Campus, the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and Arena, and the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. About 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories are expected to take part.