BASKETBALL SCHOOL "TORNADO" From Madrid to Tallinn – Kaunas Cup 2026 brought together young basketball players from seven European countries!
The three tournament days were packed with basketball – from the opening group-stage games to the final matchups that decided who would take home the championship trophies and medals. Different basketball schools brought different playing styles and basketball cultures, but everyone shared one goal – to test themselves against strong international competition before the start of the season.
A new format – more meaningful games
This year, a different competition format was introduced in the two age groups featuring eight teams.
In the first stage, the teams were divided into two groups of four and played a round-robin format. In previous Kaunas Cup tournaments, this stage was followed by traditional playoff games, but this year a different model was introduced.
After the first stage, the top two teams from each group advanced to a new group to compete for places 1–4, while the teams finishing third and fourth continued in a group for places 5–8. Results between teams that had already faced each other in the first stage were carried over, meaning that every game mattered from the very first day of the tournament.
The final standings were determined by the points collected during the second stage. This format gave teams more evenly matched games and ensured that every matchup had real competitive significance.
U16: champions decided in the final game of the tournament
The 2011-born boys' category was one of the strongest groups in this year's tournament. At this age, bringing together a strong field becomes increasingly difficult, which made it especially pleasing to welcome three teams that had competed in last season's Lithuanian Youth Basketball League Final Four.
The presence of CB Estudiantes from Madrid added even more international quality to the group. The Spanish basketball academy joined Kaunas Cup for the first time, and their performance became one of the highlights of this year's tournament.
The Spanish team played fast, physical and technically strong basketball, remaining undefeated all the way to the final game. There they faced Tornado KM I in a matchup that became a direct battle for the championship title.
After a close and emotional game, the Kaunas team Tornado KM I came out on top and earned the right to wear the Kaunas Cup 2026 champions' shirts. The silver medals travelled to Madrid, while Sostinės KM claimed third place.
1. Tornado KM I, Kaunas (LTU);
2. CB Estudiantes, Madrid (ESP);
3. Sostinės KM I, Vilnius (LTU);
4. V. Knašiaus KM, Klaipėda (LTU);
5. SCC Ploskyriv, Khmelnytskyi (UKR);
6. Tornado KM II, Kaunas (LTU);
7. UKS Bialoleka, Warsaw (POL);
8. SKM Ledvance, Vilnius (LTU).
– CB Estudiantes coach
U16 All-Tournament Five: Jonas Valančius (Tornado KM), Josele (CB Estudiantes), Kernius Jagminas (Sostinės KM), Dima Grigovec (SCC Ploskyriv) and Lukas Matspreikšis (V. Knašiaus KM).
Three-point contest: 1st place – Danielius Maževičius (Sostinės KM), 2nd place – Vytis Stanišauskas (Tornado KM).
U14: championship trophy travels to Klaipėda
The 2013-born age group also produced plenty of close and competitive basketball, with teams from Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Germany taking part.
The most consistent team throughout all three days was V. Knašiaus Basketball School. The team from Klaipėda finished the tournament in first place and took the Kaunas Cup 2026 championship trophy back to the Lithuanian coast.
The silver medals went to Estonian champions TalTech Basketball School from Tallinn, while the bronze remained in Kaunas as Tornado KM secured third place.
1. V. Knašiaus KM, Klaipėda (LTU);
2. TalTech BS, Tallinn (EST);
3. Tornado KM, Kaunas (LTU);
4. UKS Bialoleka, Warsaw (POL);
5. Nacionalinė KA, Kaunas (LTU);
6. Marupes NSS, Marupe (LAT);
7. AM Dzików, Warsaw (POL);
8. DTB, Berlin (GER).
However, Kaunas Cup is about much more than the final position in the standings. The experience of the guests from Berlin reflected this perfectly. The DTB Berlin coach came to Kaunas with two teams – players born in 2013 and 2015 – made up of athletes from Berlin Tigers and DVB Charlottenburg.
Although the sporting results did not go their way this time, the coach emphasized how valuable it was for the young players to compete against teams from different countries. It gave them an opportunity to experience a different pace of play, a more physical style and different basketball cultures.
Experiences like these are one of the most important parts of an international youth basketball tournament.
U14 All-Tournament Five: Paulius Šlepavičius and Elonas Vaitechovskis (V. Knašiaus KM), Aleksander Tatter (TalTech BS), Kristupas Skeiverys (Tornado KM) and Michal Zasuwik (UKS Bialoleka).
Three-point contest: 1st place – Geron Arbet (TalTech BS), 2nd place – Kristupas Bložė (Tornado KM).
U12: Vilniaus KM triumphs in the youngest age group
Six teams from Lithuania, Latvia and Germany competed in the youngest category for players born in 2015.
Vilniaus KM delivered a dominant tournament, defeating every opponent and taking the championship trophy back to the Lithuanian capital.
Second place went to Latvian side DSN Riga, while another Latvian team, Marupes NSS, claimed the bronze medals. KA Žalgiris finished fourth, Tornado KM took fifth place, and the young players of DTB Berlin finished sixth.
1. Vilniaus KM, Vilnius (LTU);
2. DSN, Riga (LAT);
3. Marupes NSS, Marupe (LAT);
4. KA Žalgiris, Kaunas (LTU);
5. Tornado KM, Kaunas (LTU);
6. DTB, Berlin (GER).
U12 All-Tournament Five: Mykolas Vilys (Vilniaus KM), Harolds Toms (DSN), Everts Bučs (Marupes NSS), Augustas Stankevičius (KA Žalgiris) and Joris Budginas (Tornado KM).
Three-point contest: 1st place – Richards Luks (Marupes NSS), 2nd place – Krus Stašans (DSN).
More than three days of basketball
Every year, Kaunas Cup aims to be about more than simply determining the strongest teams. The international tournament gives young players an opportunity to meet peers from other countries, test themselves against opponents with different playing styles, discover a new city and gain experiences that are not always available in national competitions.
Thank you for being part of Kaunas Cup 2026
The tournament would not be possible without the people and partners who contribute to its organization.
A big thank you to Kaunas City Municipality for partially funding the tournament through project funds, Fjord for providing prizes for the winning teams, 4F for prizes for tournament participants, Fresh Walk for sandwiches for our hungry young basketball players, and Kaunas District Municipality for providing the Ringaudai sports hall.
We are equally grateful to the parents, who not only supported the teams loudly from the stands but also actively helped with the organization of the tournament, as well as to the coaches and the entire organizing team who worked throughout three intense days to ensure that everything ran smoothly across the different venues.
– Dainius Čiuprinskas, Director of Tornado Basketball School
The 12th edition of Kaunas Cup has come to an end. The medals have been awarded and the tournament gyms have fallen quiet, but hundreds of game moments, emotions, photographs, new connections and, we hope, the desire to return to Kaunas once again remain.
You can find plenty of Kaunas Cup 2026 photos and videos on our social media channels.
