TOKYO (Japan) - The craze for AKATSUKI JAPAN is alive and well and such is confirmed in the expected attendance at the first game of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers Window 2 where Japan will face Mongolia.
The game, which will be played at the Nikkan Arena Tochigi in Utsunomiya on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 07:05 PM (GMT+9), has been confirmed to be sold out. The venue serves as the home venue for the Japanese B.League's Utsunomiya Brex and was also one of the venues that hosted the East Asia Super League (EASL) Champions Week in 2023.
With a reported capacity of at least 5,000, the stadium will be packed with fans excited to see their beloved Japan national team who aim to stay undefeated in the Qualifiers. In the February Window, Japan defeated Guam in their opening game before proceeding to claim a victory over China, 76-73. Both games, including the historic first against China in a major FIBA competition in 88 years, were also played at home for Japan at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo.
The two Windows 1 games saw a crowded venue, combined for a total of 17,717 seats filled.
Japan have recently named a training camp squad which ill gather on November 11 including the likes of star veterans like Yuta Watanabe, Yuki Togashi, and Josh Hawkinson among others. They will be facing an exciting group in the Mongolia national team. Despite being winless so far after losing to both China and Guam in Window 1, Mongolia play an exciting and fun style of basketball that can be an issue for any opponent they go up against.
FIBA