4-day 3X3 basketball competition starts at West Edmonton Mall

Competition during the Hoop City 3X3 Festival at West Edmonton Mall's Ice Palace on July 31, 2025.

They’re having a ball at the mall.

Basketball, that is. More specifically, three-on-three hoops, better known as 3X3, with fast-paced games each running 10 minutes and employing a 12-second shot clock.

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‘The mall’ is West Edmonton Mall, which is playing host to the Hoop City 3X3 Festival that started Thursday and runs through Sunday.

The event marks the fifth time Edmonton has played host to the festivals’ feature competitions, the 2025 FIBA 3x3 World Tour and Women’s Series, which will feature 200 of the top 3X3 basketball athletes and the top 12 men’s and women’s teams in the world.

More than 8,000 people are expected to attend the competition, which is the lone North American stop on the FIBA 3X3 calendar this year, the Alberta government said in a media release on Thursday, adding a global viewership of up to 500,000 is projected as is a $4.3-million boost to Edmonton’s visitor economy.

“The action is fast and furious. The games go quickly. You get to see a variety of styles, all the athleticism, all the skill. It’s all on display.” Paul Sir, the chief executive officer of the 3X3 Basketball Association, told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday at the mall’s Ice Palace.

Thursday sees games for the FIBA 3×3 men’s and women’s Quests and the Hoop City Youth Showcase. Friday brings the Quests playoffs and the start of pool play for the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series, Saturday sees Women’s Series playoffs and the start of pool play for the FIBA 3×3 Men’s World Tour, with Men’s World Tour playoffs and a wheelchair challenge being staged on Sunday.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Galen McDougall