MUNICH (FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers) – The verdict is still out on which teams will grab the remaining 11 tickets to FIBA EuroBasket 2017 as we have only reached the half-way point of the qualifying race, but one thing is already beyond doubt: Fans all over Europe have made the most of the chance to support their national team and cheer on their favourite stars from up close.

Georgian fans established a record in this campaign and a venue record on Wednesday night, as a sold-out crowd of 9,800 flocked to Tbilisi Sports Palace to watch the Group F clash of their national team with Montenegro, which of course featured as an added bonus a delightful match-up between Zaza Pachulia of Golden State Warriors and Nikola Vucevic of Orlando Magic.

The Tbilisi fans left heart-broken as Georgia fell 76-74 in a dramatic finale, but received high praise from a legend of European basketball in Montenegro head coach Bogdan Tanjevic. "First I have to mention the fans, they were fantastic, I am well aware of the basketball tradition in Georgia," the 69-year-old tactician said and thanked the crowd for creating a fantastic atmosphere.

The second most sizeable attendance figure of the Qualifiers was registered on 31 August, in a Group C encounter, as Russia decided to play a national team game in the city of Perm for the first time recent memory, hosting Bosnia and Herzegovina on the opening day of action.

The local basketball faithful showed just how much they had been craving the opportunity to get close to their favourite stars like Timofey Mozgov, Sergey Karasev and Andrei Vorosevintch, as the 7,000-seat capacity of the gym proved not enough to accommodate demand. The night could not have turned out any better for Perm fans, as they celebrated Russia’s 83-54 win over the visitors.

Bosnia and Herzegovina however got to taste the sweet side of this sort of fan devotion only three days later, as a sold-out crowd of 5,500 filled up the famed Mirza Delibasic Hall in Sarajevo to cheer on their national team en route to a hard-earned 74-71 win over Sweden and witness first-hand a memorable break-out performance by 17-year-old rising star Dzanan Musa, who collected a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Ukraine share third place on the podium with Bosnia and Herzegovina as they also attracted a 5,500-strong crowd to their 79-69 win over Bulgaria on Gameday 1 in Kiev. Germany are not far behind as 4,686 fans attended the Group B game against Netherlands in Oberhausen on Wednesday night, which however ended in a shock 75-71 loss for the German side.

FIBA