ATTENDANCE numbers in 2023 FIBA World Cup games in Manila were dampened by high ticket prices, as observed by FIBA secretary-general Andreas Zagklis.
Pointing to a number of factors, including high ticket prices, Zagklis said there fans who came to catch the games in the various venues in Manila were fewer than anticipated.
“Indeed we would like to have had a little bit higher attendance here in Manila.” said Zagklis in a press conference at the Mall of Asia Arena on the final day of the quadrennial showcase co-hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.
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Ticket prices during the group phase at the MOA Arena in Pasay were pegged as high as Php 27,000, for the Team USA-Greece game, and from Php 14,599, to Php 11,099 for other games. Tickets were raised during the final phase.
Zagklis himself noted empty spaces in the arena, especially in particular ticket tiers, citing some ill-advised decisions in the pricing which he admitted FIBA reviewed ahead of the World Cup.
“The pricing of the tickets, which was determined by the local [organizing committee] but reviewed by FIBA so we have our share in this, of course, and we were part of this process. For some categories, it was unsuccessful.” said the FIBA executive.
“I can say that this is one of the major debriefing points we’ll have. Several times in the venue, where the fourth and fifth tiers were full, the first tier was full, the second and third were not," he said.
"So that’s where you see immediately the impact of pricing. This happened several times. So we can say the second and the third tiers were higher priced than would have been the market acceptable price.”
Moving forward, FIBA will look to produce more budget-friendly options for fans – especially when the next World Cup rolls around in 2027 in Qatar.
“This is something for sure to review for Doha because there, all 92 games are in the same city, of course, there, people will be able to buy their tickets from the moment that their team is qualified, you know where they will play.” said Zagklis.
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“Here, we had the additional element, you had to wait until the draw to see where your team was playing and that changed the plans of several of our traveling fans.” he added.
Despite this, Zagklis said they expect to breach the 700,000 mark in total attendance after the battle for third place and the title match at MOA Arena.
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