Basketball, all the numbers from Serie A arenas: no shortage of surprises
The Basketball League released on Wednesday official data on arena attendance for what concerns the 2025‑2026 Serie A regular season, based on SIAE surveys provided by the clubs. The 210 matches played brought 1,724,100 spectators to the arenas, for an average of 4,105 per game. This is virtually identical to the recent record from two seasons ago, 3.6 percent higher than 2024-2025.
The overall figure should also be read in light of the special situations of Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna, who played in different venues throughout the year. Milan alternated between Unipol Forum and Allianz Cloud, respectively registering 7,798 average spectators in the nine games played in the main arena and 4,218 in the five played at the smaller facility. Virtus, on the other hand, started the season at the Paladozza, with an average of 4,830 spectators, and then moved to the Virtus Arena since December, where it recorded 6,757 admissions per game.
Milan leads all the main entries: total spectators (91,266), average per game (6,519), total takings (1,720,289 euros) and average takings (122,878 euros). Behind it in average spectators are Virtus Bologna, Trieste, Cantù and Brescia, with Varese also exceeding the league average. Trento and Treviso remain just under four thousand.
Among the most significant figures is the growth of Tortona, which registered a +59.6 percent over last season. The move to Nova Arena brought the average to 3,600 spectators, compared with 2,256 in Casale Monferrato. Increases between 2% and 3% concerned Varese, Trieste and Virtus Bologna, while Trento, Brescia, Venice and Reggio Emilia confirmed substantial stability. Newly-promoted Cantù and Udine benefited from the Serie A effect: the former went from 3,150 to 4,757 spectators (+51%), the latter from 3,116 to 3,462 (+11%).
The second round showed a further positive sign, with eight clubs able to improve on their first-round figures. Virtus Bologna benefited from the increased capacity of the Virtus Arena, while Treviso, Reggio Emilia and Cantù registered smaller but still significant increases.
On the filling front, Udine confirmed itself as the hottest square in the league: the PalaCarnera reached 98.9% of seats occupied, with 3,462 spectators out of 3,500 available. Right behind are Trento, Venice, Brescia and Varese, all up from the first leg. The overall index for the tournament is 76%, the best in the last four seasons.
Gross receipts also confirm the positive trend. The regular season generated 13,385,465 euros, for an average of 63,740 euros per game, up from both the average for the first round and the previous season’s figure. Behind Milan, which also dominates this ranking, are Virtus Bologna, Trieste, Varese, Reggio Emilia, Brescia and Tortona, with Cantù just below the overall average.
The season record for spectators came at Olimpia’s 90th anniversary celebration, with 11,469 in attendance at the Unipol Forum for the game against Sassari. By contrast, the all-time box office record remains the 258,898 recorded for Milano‑Virtus last season, with 10,417 spectators.
