The Swedish Basketball Federation has gotten major rewards from its 3×3 concept, one that has become an crusial part of the federation’s operations. Now ice hockey is also entering the fast-growing format. With shorter games, fewer players and more dynamic venues, the International Ice Hockey Federation aims to reach new audiences and generate new revenue streams.
”Interest is growing, and we hope to have a league in Sweden as early as next year,” says Florian Mayer, Sport Director for 3×3 at the International Ice Hockey Federation, IIHF.
The federation is investing heavily in the new 3×3 concept. Games played in urban settings or other scenic locations on temporary, smaller rinks with synthetic ice and shorter playing times than traditional hockey.
The IIHF held its first event earlier this April, in Innsbruck, Austria.
”The concept is built more for a younger audience. It’s more creative, combining entertainment and sport — we call it sportainment. I think it attracts a new audience, but it also brings a new mindset to traditional sports in the market,” says Mayer.
The IIHF has been evaluating the concept since 2020. The Youth Olympics in Lausanne served as a pilot, and four years later the format had its real debut at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon 2024.
”That’s where we saw it really worked, both with audiences and in the data we collected. That’s essentially where we decided to develop it further as its own product.”
Mayer explains that the new format is ultimately intended to give more people access to the sport in a more flexible way, while offering an experience distinct from traditional hockey. The question is whether the new concept will make its entrance in Sweden in the near future.
”I hope so! We’re focused on opening up the market, for instance through university leagues. There are many young players in Sweden who have come through academies at Djurgården or Frölunda but haven’t made it to the pro level. For them, 3×3 can be an alternative,” Mayer says, and continues:
”We need close collaboration with the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation (Svenska Ishockeyförbundet) and with players who see the potential in investing in new rinks. But interest is growing, and we hope to have a league in Sweden as early as next year. Sweden is also a very interesting market for a tour stop.”
In basketball, the 3×3 format is already well-established, not least in Sweden, where the concept has been around since 2013. The Swedish Basketball Federation organizes tournaments at central locations such as Kungsträdgården in Stockholm and Nordstan in Gothenburg.
As early as 2007, the International Basketball Federation, FIBA, took ownership of the format and established its rules and framework. FIBA has since continued to develop the format and has encouraged national federations to establish 3×3 as a discipline in their respective countries. Since the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021), the sport has also been an Olympic event.
Trends point to continued growth
According to PwC’s Global Sports Survey 2026, 57 percent of senior sports leaders see the greatest commercial potential in shorter, more intense competition formats, with 3×3 basketball highlighted as a successful example.
”Our 3×3 tours are financed mainly through sponsors and partnerships with host cities. That’s different from 5×5, where revenue comes from team entry fees, for instance,” says Mats Elsnitz, Head of Sales and Business Development at the Swedish Basketball Federation.
Over the past decade, the concept has also grown rapidly in Sweden. The number of tournaments has risen from three to seven, and the number of teams from 29 to 318. Player numbers have grown from 104 to 1,175. An increase of roughly 1,030 percent.
”From a federation perspective, we took a major leap in 2025, with 3×3 playing a significant role in our commercial development. For example, we can package 3×3 alongside traditional basketball, creating greater value for partners,” says Elsnitz.
The concept also drives new revenue, Elsnitz explains, describing the format as a separate revenue stream. There’s also more room for creativity in the offering, he adds. Partners such as Nocco (Vitamin Well), Sun-Maid and Skippy have featured at the tournaments.
”We’re attracting new types of partners, and that gives us more opportunities to create value for them. We can work more with experiences in urban settings and reach audiences we wouldn’t otherwise reach through traditional basketball.”
Unlike the Swedish Basketball Federation and FIBA, ice hockey is still at an early stage. Mayer says the focus is now on establishing the concept at a larger scale, similar to how FIBA approached basketball around 2007.
”We’re in a startup phase. We’ve shown that the concept works, that we have the right setup and that there’s interest. The next step is to build an international tour and national leagues. This is a major project,” Mayer explains.
At the same time, building the concept will take time, he says.
”We’ve learned from other sports that this kind of thing takes time to build. But with the right investments and the right support, there’s huge potential.”
Not competing with traditional sport
Although 3×3 is emerging as a product in its own right, Mayer doesn’t see it as a threat to interest in traditional ice hockey. Instead, he sees it as a product that lifts both the new format and traditional ice hockey. The Swedish Basketball Federation shares that view.
”3×3 is seen as a complement that broadens the activity, similar to how beach volleyball relates to indoor volleyball. It makes basketball more attractive and creates more opportunities — especially when you look at the bigger picture. We can offer significantly broader packages for partners, but also be more targeted and meet exactly what a sponsor or company is looking for,” says Mats Elsnitz.
Foto: Fredrik Karlsson / BILDBYRÅN
Shopping malls with hockey rinks
Mayer at the IIHF says the new concept will hopefully ease the pressure on existing facilities. The format is also less expensive to operate, which is often the reason ice hockey venues are forced to close, he notes.
”We’re seeing ice rinks around the world shutting down, often due to high operating and maintenance costs. With 3×3 and smaller rinks, we can reduce costs in terms of both operations and staffing, while creating more opportunities to play.”
He also points to growing interest from external players, such as property owners.
”We’re in contact with both municipalities and investors who want to develop new types of sports venues. That can mean converting old shopping malls or industrial spaces into multifunctional facilities housing several activities, where 3×3 hockey can be one of them.”
The format aims to create new sports influencers
A key part of the new format is how players are profiled, particularly on social media. In 3×3 basketball, for instance, Serbian national team player Dušan Bulut has built a following of around 60,000 on Instagram, largely thanks to the 3×3 concept. Mayer notes that traditional ice hockey has historically struggled to spotlight individual players. The players are ”hidden behind the equipment,” as he puts it. There’s potential to bring new personalities into the spotlight. This also aligns with PwC’s Global Sports Survey 2026, where 44 percent of fans say star players and strong personalities are the most important driver behind their interest in new sports concepts and leagues.
”In 3×3, we have the chance to make them more visible, to show their personalities and build stories around them. That means we can use the players for marketing purposes,” says Mayer.
The concept is also expected to drive greater reach on digital platforms such as Twitch, TikTok and other channels popular with younger audiences. A study by IBM, based on more than 20,000 responses from sports consumers, shows that 73 percent of those surveyed use some form of mobile app to stay updated on sports. Among younger users, the behavior is even more pronounced. In the 18–29 age group, the figure reaches 87 percent.
In Europe, social media is also the most popular channel for sports consumption. The study also shows that nearly half of all sports fans follow influencers or content creators connected to the sport.
”We’re looking at new formats, for example streaming via digital platforms, partnerships with influencers and other ways of presenting the sport.”
Attracting young people to the sport
Statistics from the Swedish Research Council for Sport Science (Centrum för idrottsforskning) and the Swedish Sports Confederation’s LOK data (Riksidrottsförbundet) show that participation trends in youth sports are uneven. Between 2014 and 2024, activity levels in ice hockey rose by 4 percent among young people aged 7–25, while basketball, for instance, grew by 16 percent over the same period. Reaching a younger audience is therefore central to the IIHF’s strategy.
”We’re not just targeting traditional hockey fans. Through our events, fan zones and central venues, we want to make the sport more accessible and attract people who might not otherwise have gone to a hockey game,” says Mayer.
