The Philippine Arena is the world’s largest indoor arena.[8] It is a multipurpose indoor arena with a maximum seating capacity of 55,000 at Ciudad de Victoria, a 140-hectare (350-acre) tourism enterprise zone in Bocaue and Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines[9] about 30 kilometers (19 mi) north of Manila. It is one of the centerpieces of the many centennialprojects[10] of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) for their centennial celebration on July 27, 2014.[11] The legal owner of the arena is the INC’s educational institution, New Era University.[12]The arena is officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest mixed-use indoor theater in the world on July 27, 2014.[13]
It is sometimes advertised to be located in Manila on promotional materials of international events as its location is within the Greater Manila Area.
FIBA 3×3 World Cup
The 2018 FIBA 3×3 World Cup was hosted by the Philippines on June 8–12, 2018 with Philippine Arena as the venue. Serbia won the men’s tournament, while the women’s tournament was won by Italy. The event was co-organized by FIBA.
FIBA Basketball World Cup
The Philippine Arena was one of five venues for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup which the Philippines hosted from August 25 to September 10, 2023, with co-hosts Japan and Indonesia. It served as the venue for the first two games of Group A on August 25, 2023, including the Philippines‘ opening game against the Dominican Republic, which broke the attendance record for a FIBA Basketball World Cup game with 38,115 spectators.[29] It was originally set to host the final round before it was moved to the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Metro Manila due to logistical and traffic concerns.[30]
