Ub, Liman and Vienna become first teams to qualify for FIBA 3x3 World Tour Jeddah Final

JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - There are just two stops left in the regular season of this crazy FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2023 as teams fight for a place in next month's showpiece Jeddah Final. 

But for three teams who have performed superbly, the pressure is off after already securing qualification for the season-finale on December 8-9. 

Let's take a closer look at these teams.

Ub Huishan NE (1005 pts; 6 Masters titles)

Ub essentially qualified long ago and they've sat on top of the standings ever since winning the Utsunomiya Opener. They won five more in a row to complete the greatest streak in World Tour history and we started to think that they'll never lose again. 

Of course, the depth and talent is better than ever on the World Tour and Ub have not been able to win a Masters title since. 

Be warned, Ub are coming! Their runners-up finish in Wuxi showed they had turned the corner as the game's best player Strahinja Stojacic put his cape back on. 

Ub still look on track to defend their World Tour Final crown, but - as the last few months have shown - it won't be easy. 

Liman Huishan NE (504 pts; 1 Masters title)

One of 3x3's legendary teams just keeps being among the top tier. Even though their team has looked a bit different this season, Liman again are near the top of the standings having made the final in three stops, including winning in Chengdu. 

At the heart of their success has been, you guessed it, legendary duo Stefan Kojic and Mihailo Vasic. Kojic has again been a cold-blooded sniper, while Vasic continues to make the paint his personal playground. 

Their strong leadership has also made it easier to bring in new players and Liman have remained among the heavyweights due to the addition of Chinese dynamo Ning Zhang, who was electric in Chengdu to finish with the MVP. 

Liman won the World Tour Final 2021 and you would be brave to bet against them in Jeddah. 

Vienna (500 pts; 1 Masters title)

After not playing much early in the season, the Austrians have looked stronger than Schwarzenegger once they've played consistently on the World Tour.

Vienna reached the final three times in the span of four stops, including winning in Amsterdam in style. It's been a team effort with Vienna looking mighty formidable. 

They boast Amsterdam MVP Quincy Diggs, who can go toe-to-toe with anyone, while Matthias Linortner and  Nico Kaltenbrunner can heat up when needed. 

Vienna fell agonizingly short to Ub in last year's World Tour Final, but they will feel confident of going one step better this time around. 

FIBA