FIFA 3X3 U-18 World Championship (Photo : FIBA)
The final day of competition at the FIBA 3X3 Under-18 World Championship is underway, as the remaining teams in both boys' and girls' brackets battle one another through the semifinal and final stages of the tournament until new champions are crowned in Debrecen, Hungary.
After four days of grueling 3x3 competitions, only four teams in the boys and girls division are left to compete for a place in the podium, with the New Zealand, Spain, France and Argentina comprising the semifinals cast for the boys side, while the United States, Israel, Hungary and France making the semifinals for the distaff side.
New Zealand, which has been the best team coming from the preliminary round, will take on an Argentinean team that pushed Team USA to the limit on the final day of the group stages. Meanwhile, France and Spain look to rekindle an old rivalry on the hard-court, as the two European powerhouses square it off for a place in the final.
The girls' semis will feature host Hungary playing a very talented France team. The Hungarians have shown incredible resilience throughout the tourney, but they would need more than home-court support to upend a very tall French side. On the other hand, United States faces suprising semifinalist Israel. While there's no doubt that the Americans bring in enormous advantage in skill-level, expect the scrappy Israelis to give the favorites a run for their money on Sunday.
Aside from 3x3 actions, the final day will also feature the final round of the shootout contest and the much awaited Slam Dunk competition. Philippines and UCLA commit Kobe Paras will try to defend his title he won two years ago in Jakarta, Indonesia against qualifiers from the United States, Hungary and Uruguay.
