Tickets are on sale for the Great Britain Men’s team’s FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifier against Italy in Newcastle at the Vertu Arena next month.

The game, which will take place on 27 February (7.30pm), is GB’s third in the competition’s First Round Group D after November’s narrow loss to Lithuania in London and a win in Iceland.

Following the liquidation of the British Basketball Federation (BBF) last month, the clash with Italy, the reverse fixture in Livorno three days later, plus the three games that comprise the GB Women’s FIBA Women’s EuroBasket Qualification window in March, will be delivered by a group of British basketball stakeholders.


Sold-out Vertu Arena crowds have cheered on the national team on eight previous occasions since 2019. (Photo: Gary Forster, Feature Image: Adam Bates)

Basketball England, basketballscotland and Basketball Wales, Super League Basketball (Men’s and Women’s) and the clubs based at the GB home venues – Newcastle Eagles and Manchester Basketball – have come together to support the teams, while, with the input of FIBA, UK Sport and Sport England, an entity to run the game in Great Britain is formed.

The game against Italy in Newcastle will see the GB Men’s team return to their familiar home, with the fixture being the ninth time they have played at the Vertu Arena in recent years.

All five of Great Britain’s Qualifiers home games in the last FIBA Basketball World Cup were hosted at the Vertu Arena. (Photo: FIBA)

GB and Eagles head coach Marc Steutel is again expecting passionate support from the North East fans.


“I’m absolutely elated to be coaching the national team once again in Newcastle’s Vertu Arena”, said Steutel.

“It feels like it has been our base in the UK and every single time we’ve played here, we’ve had incredible support from both the Newcastle Eagles fans and the wider British basketball community.

“We’re all hoping that this is another step forward for the future of British basketball and that we get another amazing turn-out from our amazing fans. As ever, we hope this will be a mix of people who support Basketball England clubs, Super League Basketball teams and anyone who is a stakeholder in the British game.

“Every time we’ve played at the Vertu Arena in Newcastle, it’s felt like it a fortress for us and we feel like we have had incredible support there, which is amazing and we hope that we have this again for such an important qualifiers game against Italy so we start this window off on the right foot.


“We hope to see all the fans come out to make as much noise as they can next month, including all the amazing Eagles fans who support me and the team here every week, and that they come and do the same with the national team to see the GB players who they maybe don’t get chance to watch every week.”

Tickets are available now on the Newcastle Eagles Box Office from £19 for adults and £14 for children.