After months of speculation, the Tall Blacks can now confirm the date and location of their next FIBA Asia Cup Qualifier game on New Zealand soil; taking on Chinese Taipei from 7pm on Monday 25 November at Christchurch’s Wolfbrook Arena.
The last time the Tall Blacks played in Christchurch was against Saudi Arabia on 24 February 2023, earning a 110-63 win in front of 4,000 cheering local and visiting basketball fans. Christchurch-born Ethan Rusbatch sank 5-7 three pointers for his team-high 21 points in the win, while Taylor Britt added nine assists.
Basketball New Zealand CEO, Dillon Boucher says that the Tall Blacks always relish the chance to play in front of a passionate and engaged crowd in Christchurch.
“It’s one of the team’s favourite places to play, as we always know the crowd there is going to be amazing – they love seeing hometown heroes like Ethan, Taylor, Walter [Brown] and Max [Darling] wearing the black jersey, and they’re right behind New Zealand basketball on the international stage,” says Boucher.
“That’s all you can ever ask for as an athlete; playing in a great venue in front of highly engaged basketball fans. Christchurch and Wolfbrook Arena definitely tick both those boxes for us, and it’s great to have the support of Ōtautahi Christchurch to bring the fixture to the region and help make it a huge success.”
“The Tall Blacks inject real energy and draw great Canterbury crowds to Wolfbrook Arena. Building on last year’s slam dunk against Saudi Arabia, we expect a real buzz around the city this November,” says ChristchurchNZ’s Major Events Manager Karena Finnie.
“With an anticipated 5,000 in attendance and economic impact of more than $150,000, we’re over the moon to add this international fixture to a star-studded spring of major events and we’re sure Ōtautahi Christchurch will turn out in force to see our team in action,” Finnie concludes.
Qualification for FIBA Asia Cup 2025
This will be New Zealand’s fourth of six games in this FIBA Asia Cup Qualifier (ACQ) cycle, as the Tall Blacks battle to qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup in 2025; one of New Zealand’s three pinnacle tournaments alongside the FIBA World Cup and Olympics.
The FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers are played across three windows – February 2024, November 2024 and February 2025 – with the Tall Blacks playing one away and one home game in each window, against Group B opponents Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and Philippines.
In their first two ACQ games in February, the Tall Blacks defeated Chinese Taipei (away) and Hong Kong (Auckland) by an average of 29.5 points. The squad will travel to Christchurch from the Philippines on 22 November, following their third ACQ game against Gilas Pilipinas the night prior.
New Zealand will be aiming to build on its 2022 FIBA Asia Cup performance, where they earned their first-ever Bronze medal after beating Jordan 83-75 in the third place game. Tohi Smith-Milner earned All-star five honours after scoring 25 points against Jordan in a historic performance; the big man averaging 48.4% from outside the arc for the tournament.
The Tall Blacks will take on Chinese Taipei in a FIBA Asia Cup Qualifier game on Monday 25 November in Christchurch; tip-off from 7pm at Wolfbrook Arena. Tickets will go on sale next month via Ticketek.
Tall Blacks Schedule – Asia Cup Qualifiers 2025
22 Feb 2024 – NZL vs Chinese Taipei (away): WON 89-69
25 Feb 2024 – NZL vs Hong Kong (Auckland): WON 88-49
21 Nov 2024 – NZL vs Philippines (away): time and venue TBC
25 Nov 2024 – NZL vs Chinese Taipei (Christchurch): 7pm, Wolfbrook Arena
20 Feb 2025 – NZL vs Hong Kong (away): time and venue TBC
23 Feb 2025 – NZL vs Philippines (New Zealand): time and venue TBC
5-17 Aug 2025 – FIBA Asia Cup 2025 (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) : time and venue TBC
