Claire Melia included as Ireland squads announced for FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup Qualifying

Ireland women's 3x3 head coach Niamh Dwyer has named Claire Melia in her squad for Ireland's upcoming FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup qualifiers in Kosovo on June 13th. Melia, who hasn't featured in the format since 2024, is joined by Domino's Women's Super League Young Player of the Year Hazel Finn, Caledonia Gladiators' Maura Fitzpatrick and Abigail Rafferty in a strong Irish quartet for the event in Prishtina. 

Jordan Blount and Matt Treacy have been included in the Ireland men’s provisional squad by head coach Darren McGovern, as they return to the scene of their success a year ago. Their 21-19 victory over Cyprus booked a FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup finals place for an Irish men’s team for the first time. Limerick Sport Eagles' Ryan Leonard, Ireland U23 3x3 international Jamie Muldowney and Lucien Christofis - who most recently played for Akranes in Iceland – have also been selected ahead of a training camp in Serbia. 

 Sean Flood (11) and Matt Treacy (22) contest the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup Qualifying Final in Prishtina in 2025.

Ireland’s women will be aiming to bounce back from a group stage exit following losses to Cyprus and Malta last year and with a third FIBA 3x3 Women's World Series campaign on the horizon, head coach Niamh Dwyer will see this as a good opportunity to start a busy summer on a positive note. Melia, making her first appearance at the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup Qualifier event since 2024, is a big addition to the roster following a strong season with BAXI Ferrol, while the experience of Maura Fitzpatrick on the FIBA 3x3 Women's World Series, will also prove crucial. 

 Ireland's Maura Fitzpatrick in action during the FIBA 3x3 Women's World Series in 2025. 

Hazel Finn and Abigail Rafferty excelled in the FIBA U23 3x3 Nations League in 2025, helping Ireland to second and third place finishes across three tournaments. Rafferty, who has just completed her first season with Gdessa in Portugal, also featured in two stops in the FIBA 3x3 Women's World Series in Bordeaux and Órleans. Finn's offensive and defensive quickness translates well to the 3x3 format and she will enter the tournament high on confidence after leading Trinity Meteors to a Domino's Women's Super League.

Blount and Treacy will be keen to experience a second FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup following last September’s exploits against Olympic medallists Netherlands and Latvia at the finals in Copenhagen. Ireland will enter the qualifying repechage as the top seeds and with expectations of being in the frame for qualifying once again.

Ireland’s men begin with a repeat of last year’s decider against Cyprus, before taking on Kosovo to determine the group’s top seed, while Claire Melia’s first game back in this format will be against Kosovo on Saturday, June 13^th.

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What is the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup?

The FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup is the European Championships of basketball's 3x3 format. It brings together 12 teams who qualify for the tournament either through their FIBA World Ranking or through qualifying events throughout the year. 

This September will be the 11th edition of the competition, taking place in Antwerp, Belgium.

The 3x3 basketball format is a fast-paced game played on a half-court, three players per team, with a 12 second-shot clock for 10 minutes. The winning team is the first to 21-points or the team with the most points when the 10-minute period is up.  

The qualifiers allow only one team to qualify per gender. The men’s format allows the top two teams in the groups to advance to the semi-finals, where ultimately the winner of the final goes to Antwerp. The women’s format is slightly different, where the competition will be played in a single round-robin pool, with the top team securing qualification.

You can find the competition portal here.