Packed arenas, 88 games worldwide and crucial results mark third window

MIES, Switzerland (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers) - National team basketball reached new heights during the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers when, for the first time, all 80 countries bidding to play in China next year were in action at the same time.

There were more players, more games and, yes, more spectacular plays as teams pulled out all stops to get vital wins.

There was also overwhelming evidence that fans had a tremendous desire to see their national sides in action with 30 games sold out. A whopping 23,500 spectators showed up to watch the Philippines host Australia, a record attendance record for the First Round.

An additional 1.1 million fans are now enjoying the ride. That's how many started following FIBA Basketball World Cup's Facebook, Weibo, Instagram and Twitter accounts since the start of the Qualifiers.

Many of those spectators at arenas and fans at home, too, didn't just see the action live but also checked out the highlights and watched post-game interviews. They simply couldn't get enough of the Qualifiers. There were 55 million video views for the first window in November, 60 million for the second window in February and 87 million for the games played at the end of June and beginning of July - a 35 percent increase for the third window. 

Some nations were aiming to score more wins to take with them into the Second Round, while others went after victories just so that they could stay alive and advance further on the Road to China 2019. When the dust had settled, 60 teams had clinched their places in the next phase of the competition.

Yes, the fans got a chance to again connect with national team players by showing up in big numbers to watch vital games. But they also had an opportunity to bond in a different way, with stars from all regions challenging them in a game of digital H-O-R-S-E.

 
And what was already a successful #ThisIsMyHouse campaign became an enormous hit. By the end of the First Round, that famous slogan had more than a billion impressions on Social Media.

When it was all said and done, the numbers - those off the scoreboard and out of the boxscores - made for impressive reading. By the end of the First Round, more than 930,000 spectators attended games across the three windows played to date, while 1,527 players had hit the hardwood and competed for their countries. In all, 240 World Cup Qualifiers battles were waged in 118 arenas.

FIBA