Philippines upbeat on breaking FIBA World Cup live gate record

MANILA, Philippines – Owning the FIBA gate attendance record is well within reach for the Philippines.

With 10 days to go, the country brims with confidence and enthusiasm that it could erase the standing record of 32,616 fans in the 1994 FIBA World Cup finals in Toronto, Canada that featured Team USA against Russia.

“We’re really confident that we will surpass that,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio said during Tuesday’s special Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum for the country’s FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 hosting at the Meralco Function Hall.

The Philippines will attempt to smash that record on August 25 at the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan when it turns on the lights and rolls the red carpet for the biggest basketball show on the planet.

Gilas Pilipinas goes up against the Dominican Republic on the opening day of the 32-team World Cup, which will also feature a pre-show event starring the country’s best local artists led by Sarah Geronimo-Guidicelli.

As of yesterday, SBP deputy event director Erika Dy said that there are already 28,000 tickets sold for the August 25 twin-bill also pitting Angola versus Italy to complete Group A with still ample time to reach the magic number. It's part of the federation's hosting readiness that is already at 95%.

But Panlilio, with the SBP needing only 5,000 more tickets to breach the milestone, has his sights locked way beyond that mark.

“We want to achieve the 50,000 mark, at least. That’s the reason why we decided to keep a game in Philippine Arena. That’s the objective. To put the Philippines on the map in terms of gate attendance,” Panlilio beamed as Gilas plays its next games against Angola and Italy at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“I think if we can breach 50,000, mahirap ng (mabura). I’m not saying di na masu-surpass but it will be very difficult to do so. Records are always meant to be broken but we’re hoping we can reach that. Our aspirant number is beyond 50,000.”

The standing record at the Philippine Arena for any sporting event is 54,589 fans tallied by the PBA in Game 7 of the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup between crowd darling Barangay Ginebra and guest team Bay Area earlier this year.

To achieve the feat, SBP shared that it has already hired 400 buses to transport fans with pick-up points at the Cloverleaf Balintawak, One Ayala in Makati, Bonifacio Global City, Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), Araneta, Trinoma and SM North in Quezon City, SM Baliwag in Bulacan and SM Clark in Pampanga.

Now, the ball is on the Filipinos’ court to deliver the ever-incomparable fandom and support at home after displaying it all around the globe in different sporting events including Team Philippines.