Australian Boomers are back in Melbourne this June and July

Don’t miss your chance to catch the Australian Men’s Basketball team in Melbourne as they look to qualify for the FIBA 2023 World Cup.

In what will be the Boomers’ first appearance at home since their history-making bronze medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics, they will headline matches at John Cain Arena (Melbourne) against both China and Japan.

The Boomers face China on Thursday June 30, followed by Japan on Friday July 1 and China again on Saturday July 3 2022. Chinese Taipei will also feature in the qualifiers and will take on Japan and China. In total, six games will be played, including two special double-headers, over four days. 

It is hoped that up to 36,500 fans will attend the series while the International broadcast will reach more than 150 million households, again placing Melbourne on the sporting world stage.

Martin Pakula, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, is excited for international basketball to return to Victoria. 

‘Hosting an official FIBA qualifying event reinforces Victoria’s standing as the major events city and Australia’s sporting capital,’ says Pakula. 

‘Basketball fans around the country will find this multi-day basketball fixture hugely appealing and it gives added incentive for interstate-based fans to head to Melbourne,’ says Pakula. 

The June schedule means there’s the possibility that overseas-based Australian players could return home to play in the series in front of a boisterous and passionate home crowd. Boomers’ Head Coach Brian Goorjian has committed to the games and is keen to enlist as many players from his Tokyo 2020 Olympic side as possible, such as Joe Ingles, Josh Giddey and Matisse Thybulle. 

‘I’m very excited to be coaching the Boomers as we return to Melbourne to play on home soil. These games are important for us to qualify for the FIBA World Cup next year,’ says Goorjian. 

‘We expect China and Japan to be tough competitors, so the fans are in for some great games. John Cain Arena is a terrific stadium for basketball, and we look forward to the fans coming out in their green and gold to support our team,’ adds Goorjian.  

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.