The FIBA World Cup will be louder like never before.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has chosen the three-nation bloc led by the Philippines as the hosts of the FIBA World Cup 2023, the world governing body revealed through Twitter Saturday evening (Manila time) at the FIBA House of Basketball in Switzerland.
With this overwhelming development, the Philippines, together with co-hosts Japan and Indonesia, will now have an automatic entry to the quadrennial event.
As what the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas unveiled this week, the Philippines will host 16 of the 32 teams of the 2023 salvo, while the other half would be separated into two groups and will be hosted by Indonesia and Japan.
The Philippines will hold the games at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, SM Mall of Asia Arena, and at the Philippine Arena. Games in Indonesia will be done in Jakarta, while Japan will have Okinawa as its host.
This will be the first time that the Philippines will hold the Worlds since 1978, where Yugoslavia emerged as the gold medalists while the Filipino dribblers wounded up as eight-placers out of 14 squads.
The last time the said major global cagefest was held in Asia was in 2006 in Japan. The Pau Gasol-led Spain was the champions back then.
