Sweden's February home Qualifier sets new record with over 7,500 tickets sold

STOCKHOLM (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Sweden's FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifier against Turkey at Stockholm's famous Hovet Arena on February 23 is already sold out, the country's basketball federation (SBBF) has announced.

The attendance of 7,506 spectators is set to be a record for a Sweden national team game.

The SBBF is also anticipating a huge crowd on February 14 for a FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2019 Qualifier between Sweden and Croatia.

"We are looking forward to organizing both the women's and the men's qualifiers in central Stockholm in front of record-breaking crowds," said SBBF President Mats Carlson. "The new competition format with national team games in season gives us a unique possibility to showcase basketball."

The sellout against Turkey is all the more impressive as the Swedes opened their World Cup Qualifiers Group B campaign with two losses in November, at home to Ukraine and away to Latvia in Riga.

Sweden's ability to sell out the game more than a month before it take place is further testament to the power of the national team and how it can help the sport grow in popularity.

Sweden had anticipated large crowds because of what transpired in 2016. With the Rio Olympic Games in August, the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers were not played until September and in their very first game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, there were a whopping 7,120 spectators. While there was a large contingent of supporters for the rivals due to the 100,000-strong population of Swedes of Bosnia and Herzegovina extraction, the vast majority of fans rooted for the home side.

Spectators packed Hovet Arena in September 2016. Photos: Anders Tillgren

Carlson was eager to point out something else about the sold-out men's game between Sweden and Turkey.

"We cannot forget we are playing these qualifying games during the Winter Olympic Games, which is a huge deal in Sweden and other Nordic countries," he said, "still we are having national TV coverage and huge crowds."

"THE NEW COMPETITION FORMAT WITH NATIONAL TEAM GAMES IN SEASON GIVES US A UNIQUE POSSIBILITY TO SHOWCASE BASKETBALL" - Carlson

Something else that is impressive for Sweden is that the fans seem to have a growing connection with the young teams that coach Vedran Bosnic is putting on the court. They are seeing an exciting group of rising stars, many that are getting experience in tough leagues around Europe like Spain-based Marcus Eriksson (Herbalife Gran Canaria), Nicholas Spires (Monbus Obradoiro), Tobias Borg (Bilbao Basket) and Ludde Hakanson (Movistar Estudiantes).

Though Utah Jazz forward Jonas Jerebko is the most popular Swedish basketball player - one that last featured for the team at FIBA EuroBasket 2013 and whose mere presence boosts everything - his absence has had no negative effect on the fans that simply want to watch the national side play.

There is also, for the first time, a supporters club for the national teams that goes by the name Moose nation.

"WE ARE PLAYING THESE QUALIFYING GAMES DURING THE WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES, WHICH IS A HUGE DEAL IN SWEDEN AND OTHER NORDIC COUNTRIES. STILL WE ARE HAVING NATIONAL TV COVERAGE AND HUGE CROWDS" Carlson

When asked how devoted this group is, SBBF Marketing Officer Johannes Wohlert gave an example.

"When Sweden played Finland in the FIBA Women EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers in February 2016, almost 300 people from Moose nation took the boat from Sweden to Finland to support the women's team," he recalled. "Word got out in Finland and that game was sold out, setting an attendance record for Finnish women basketball."

The Swedish women put on a captivating performance long before that, at EuroBasket Women 2013 in France when they made an impressive run to the Quarter-Finals and nearly upset the host nation, only to be undone by the late brilliance of Les Bleues great Celine Dumerc.

There was a bubbling passion on display at that tournament, and the fact that national team games are being played before the home folk on a regular basis is only going to fuel even more interest in the country's leading players and the sport overall.

FIBA