Gilas’ home gig in Cebu slated

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas will have friendly faces around – basketball-passionate Cebuanos, to be exact – when it makes its final push for a ticket to the 2027 FIBA World Cup.

This as the International Basketball Federation confirmed Cebu City’s hosting of all Group E matches in the sixth and final window of the WC’s Asian Qualifiers in February next year.

Site of the action will be the SM Seaside Arena, Cebu’s brand-new indoor arena with a seating capacity of 16,000 and a full capacity of 25,000.

The games are set for Feb. 26 and March 1 and will mark the Nationals’ first home gig outside the NCR since February 2023 when they played at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue against Lebanon and Jordan in the qualifiers for that year’s World Cup.

And similar to the setup last August for Window 4 over at the MOA Arena, the hoopfest in the Queen City of the South will feature a triple-header bill each playdate.

Gilas will face Jordan in the nightcap of the Feb. 26 slate with Australia taking on Syria in the curtain raiser and New Zealand battling Iran in the second game.

Three nights later, coach Tim Cone’s troops duel with Syria in the final game after the opening Australia-Iran tiff and the New Zealand-Jordan middle game.

But before playing in Cebu, Gilas will head to Malaysia first in November for Window 5 of the WCQ against Syria (Nov. 27) and Iran (29th).

After the first four windows, Pinoy dribblers sit at No. 5 in the six-team group with 12 points on a 4-4 card. The unbeaten Boomers hold pole position with 16 markers (8-0) followed by the Tall Blacks (6-2 and 14 points) with Team Melli and the Falcons slightly ahead of the Filipinos with 13 on identical 5-3 records.