Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15) — The Philippines is on pace to break the attendance record of the FIBA Basketball World Cup at the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio said the ticket sales for the Aug. 25 opener is on track to surpass the record of 32,616 spectators at the 1994 final between the USA and Russia at the Skydome (now called Rogers Centre) in Toronto, Canada.
\”We’re confident that we can surpass it. We want to achieve the 50,000 mark,\” Panlilio said during a special Philippine Sportswriters Association forum Tuesday.
The Aug. 25 playdate will feature Gilas Pilipinas facing the Dominican Republic at 8 p.m., with Italy and Angola opening the hardcourt tussle in Group A at 4 p.m.
Ticket sales for the opening day is now at 28,000 with 10 days left before the much anticipated event.
Meanwhile, the country is almost ready for its World Cup hosting as local organizers are in a crucial stretch of their preparations for the global showpiece
\”I would say we’re at 95 percent. So we’re almost there but it should be noted that the last five percent is similar to the last two minutes of a basketball game,\” FIBA World Cup 2023 deputy event director Erika Dy said.
