The road to the 2027 FIBA World Cup has become increasingly challenging for Gilas Pilipinas after a disappointing performance in the Qualifiers.
Following a 102-106 loss to New Zealand in Auckland and a 49-92 blowout from Australia in Perth in the last window of Round 1, the Filipinos find themselves in catchup mode in the second round.
With their carry-over card of eight points on two wins and four losses, the Filipinos will enter Round 2 at fifth spot, as the three qualifiers from Group A merge with their three counterparts from Group C to form Group E.
The powerhouse Boomers sit atop the six-team bracket, followed by Iran, Jordan, New Zealand, and the Philippines, with Syria holding the No. 6 seed.
According to the World Cup Qualifiers format, a team will play home-and-away against the three coming from the other group, with the Top 3 sides along with the best fourth-placed team earning tickets to the global showpiece to be hosted by Qatar.
With new opponents Iran and Jordan already bringing 11 points into the second round, Gilas is under pressure to rack up victories in the six coming matches to improve its position in the race.
Coach Tim Cone had previously estimated it would take “almost a sweep” to hurdle the next round should they fall short in their Oceania mission.
Gilas star Dwight Ramos reflected on the team's performance, saying, “We have to learn from this. Like coach said, there are going to be a lot of teams just as good as Australia (moving forward).”
Ramos emphasized the importance of working hard and remembering the feeling of getting embarrassed, stating, “We’ve got to keep working, remember this game, remember the feeling of getting embarrassed like this, work hard, and come back.”
The second-round hostilities will kick off on August 28 and 30 in a pair of triple-headers, with the SM MOA Arena being eyed as the venue.
The team is also keeping its fingers crossed that injured gunner Justin Brownlee will be good to go by then, after being sidelined by hamstring strain and peroneal tendinopathy on his right leg and left knee swelling and cartilage defects.
