Massive following in third window of World Cup's Americas Qualifiers

SAN JUAN (FIBA Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers 2019) - The passion stirred up by watching the National Teams play at home was more than evident during the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers for China 2019.

Led by nine sold-out arenas, nearly 70,000 people attended the 16 games that took place throughout the continent from Thursday, June 28, until Monday, July 2.

This is the second consecutive window that has seen an increase in the attendance rate, which on this occasion was 70 percent. There was an average of 4,365 people in 16 games.

The greatest attendance registered for this window was at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, home of the Puerto Rico National Team, where 9,000 people came to the San Juan facility to witness the duel of the Puerto Rican side against their Mexican counterparts on Sunday. In fact, the advantage of the local court was fundamental for the Boricuas, when the public, standing up, chanted at the top of their lungs, causing the Mexicans to miss four of five free throws in the crucial moment of the encounter.

Likewise, Puerto Rico had their people’s support when they welcomed Cuba. Nearly 8,500 fans were witnesses to the Puerto Ricans’ triumph against the Cubans.

Another squad that lived their compatriots’ support was the Dominican Republic. Nearly 8,000 loyal fans went to the Palacio de los Deportes Virgilio Travieso Soto, in the first game played by the team in Santo Domingo since 2010. Although the Quisqueyan side surprisingly lost against Bahamas, the public was invested in the game when the locals brushed victory in the last two minutes.

As was expected, Argentina had a sold-out arena in their presentation at Aldo Cantoni Stadium in San Juan, the capital of the province with the same name. There, the locals enjoyed the ample triumph against Panama. As visitors, the Argentine National Team lived another game in front of a great fan base that traveled to Montevideo for the game against Uruguay at Palacio Peñarol.

Meanwhile, in the Chilean city of Valdivia, the locals had the support of their people during their matches against Colombia and Venezuela at the Antonio Azurmendi Coliseum.

At the Juan de la Barrera Gymnasium at Mexico City, 4,500 people filled the venue to be the sixth man in Mexico’s important win against the United States — a fact that can't be left out.