Buenos Aires will host the 2021 FIBA Intercontinental Cup Final, as FIBA confirmed the Argentine capital as the destination for the next edition of the event, which will take place on February 6, 2021.
The current champions of the Basketball Champions League, Hereda San Pablo Burgos (ESP), will face the winners of the Basketball Champions League Americas, Asociación Atlética Quimsa (ARG), both representing their respective region in the Argentine capital. Following the latest news of the COVID-19 pandemic, FIBA has decided to adapt the format of this edition, having a single Final Event match between the two clubs.
The competition will take place at the Obras Sanitarias Stadium, venue that hosted the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 1978 and 1983, as well as the recent Basketball Champions League Americas Semifinal, Quimsa vs San Lorenzo, and also the two FIBA Americup 2022 Qualifiers matches from Argentina last November.
“I would like to congratulate both teams on their historic successes last season in the Basketball Champions League and the Basketball Champions League Americas,” said FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis. “We are delighted to be able to continue the tradition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup even in these difficult times and I would like to thank the Argentine Basketball Confederation and the city of Buenos Aires for welcoming us with open arms.”
“The fact that we were able to crown champions in the Basketball Champions League and the Basketball Champions League Americas in the midst of a global pandemic must be celebrated and the FIBA Intercontinental Cup is a perfect platform for that. For us, as a club with a young history, to be able to To participate in an intercontinental competition and to have this opportunity to become international champions is a great pride ”, said Félix Sancho Arnaiz, president of Hereda San Pablo Burgos.
“We would have liked the tournament to have been played in Burgos with our fans, but given this pandemic situation, we have to settle for playing it elsewhere. Buenos Aires, although it is far from here, seems like a very beautiful destination. We are very excited to participate and really looking forward to playing there and trying to win the trophy. When our club was created, the founding members had a clear objective: that our province of Santiago del Estero has an outstanding club, competitive in the most important tournaments, ”said Gerardo Antenor Montenegro, president of the Quimsa Athletic Association.
“I believe that thanks to everyone’s support we were able to achieve it, and today, by playing the FIBA Intercontinental Cup Final, we can make what was once an impossible dream come true. This momentum, with the history of our basketball and the permanent support of all of our people made it possible. Today we witness this moment with great joy, great pride and a great sense of unity. ”In last year’s edition, Iberostar Tenerife (ESP) won the FIBA Intercontinental Cup title, defeating Segafredo Virtus Bologna (ITA) 80-72 in the final to win the title.
