FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 - Broadcast Opening Sequence (Okinawa)
Copyright (c) 2023 International Basketball Federation
Held from 25 August to 10 September 2023, this edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup is played in multiple nations for the very first time in its history, being hosted by three Asian nations of which basketball itself is in the passion and in the heart of its people - Philippines, Indonesia and Japan.
It is the first FIBA World Cup to be hosted in Indonesia (although its national team didn't outrightly qualify as hosts), and the second to be staged in both the Philippines and Japan; both countries have last hosted the tournament back in 1978 and 2006, respectively. The Philippines served as main hosts, with the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena staging the remainder of the tournament - particularly the final round; the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bulacan was originally chosen to host this stage, but traffic concerns had prompted organizers to move the final round games to the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.
The tournament sees a record broken for the most-attended World Cup game in history, as 38,115 fans have attended the Group A opening game between the Dominican Republic and the Philippines, surpassing the previous one of 32,616 set during the 1994 Toronto final at the SkyDome - where Shaquille O'Neal led the Americans to their third title with a 137-91 win over then-newcomers Russia.
Spain were the defending champions after winning the last edition in 2019, but they faltered in the second round following their loss to Latvia and Canada, respectively, which dragged the Spaniards in being absent from the quarter-finals for the first time since 1994. At the same time, Team USA also failed to win a medal for the second edition in a row. The tournament ends with Germany coming out on top unscathed, winning their first FIBA Basketball World Cup title upon defeating Serbia 83–77 in the final held at the MOA Arena.
