Gilas Draws Strong Group in FIBA Asia Cup 2025: What It Means

Photo Source: FIBA

Gilas Pilipinas has officially been slotted into Group D of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, where they’ll face New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, and Iraq in the group stage of the continental tournament set for August 5 to 17 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

While it may not be the tournament’s “Group of Death,” Group D still presents a tough early challenge for the national team – highlighted by a compelling matchup against the Tall Blacks, who split a pair of home-and-away qualifiers with Gilas. Now, the two nations are set to break the deadlock on a bigger stage, continuing what has quietly become one of the more intriguing regional rivalries in Asian basketball.

Grouped under Pot 2 ahead of the official draw, Gilas Pilipinas was bracketed alongside fellow regional powerhouses Iran, Lebanon, and China – ensuring they wouldn’t meet any of those teams in the opening round. That worked in their favor, considering the talent and international pedigree those nations often bring in continental play.

For the group stage, Gilas managed to avoid some of the more formidable squads in the tournament, including world No. 7 Australia, No. 21 Japan, No. 28 Iran, No. 29 Lebanon, and No. 30 China. While New Zealand (ranked 22nd in the world) still presents a significant challenge, the rest of Group D features more favorable matchups on paper, with Chinese Taipei ranked 73rd and Iraq at 92. That said, rankings rarely tell the whole story – especially at the Asia Cup, where stakes are at their highest.

The best performing team from each group will advance to the quarterfinals while the second and third placers will face opponents from other groups in a playoffs to determine which other four teams will make the quarters.

In their recent qualifiers, Gilas secured a narrow 93-89 victory over the Tall Blacks at the Mall of Asia Arena in November 2024. However, New Zealand responded emphatically in the return fixture, defeating the Philippines 87-70 at Auckland’s Spark Arena in February 2025.  This split sets the stage for a decisive encounter in Jeddah.

Notably, the Philippines avoided an early matchup against South Korea, a team with whom they share a storied rivalry. Gilas fans fondly recall the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, where the Philippines achieved back-to-back victories over Korea, including a dramatic 81-78 win in June 2021.

Additionally, Gilas will not face Guam and Jordan in the initial round, thereby avoiding matchups against familiar faces from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Guam’s roster features Jericho Cruz of the San Miguel Beermen.  Meanwhile, Jordan benefits from the talents of naturalized player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, a three-time PBA Best Import awardee and TNT Tropang Giga champion. Bypassing these teams in the group stage spares Gilas the complexity of competing against players well-acquainted with the Filipino style of play.​

New Zealand poses the biggest threat in Group D, having shown time and again their ability to punish defensive lapses with disciplined execution and elite outside shooting. In both recent qualifiers against Gilas, the Tall Blacks consistently spaced the floor using a five-out offensive scheme, which gave the Philippines fits – particularly when defending with a traditional big like June Mar Fajardo in drop coverage. That perimeter-oriented system is designed to exploit slow rotations and opens up plenty of clean looks from three. Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei has struggled to keep up with Gilas in recent years until winning last February, and the Philippines has generally controlled those matchups with superior length, athleticism, and depth. Iraq, while gritty and physical, is likely to enter the group as the underdog – and on paper, Gilas should have enough firepower to handle them.

READ: 3 Questions for Gilas Pilipinas Ahead of the FIBA Asia Cup

The composition of Gilas’ roster will be crucial. The team is expected to be without Kai Sotto, who is still recovering from a torn ACL injury suffered in February. However, Justin Brownlee – fresh off hand surgery – is anticipated to be back and ready to take the reins as the team’s naturalized anchor and best player. Other familiar names expected to rejoin the squad include Chris Newsome, AJ Edu, Scottie Thompson, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, and potentially more depending on the final pool. With continuity in the core and the leadership of Coach Tim Cone, there’s a foundation in place to build a cohesive unit before August.

Still, there are tactical and structural issues that remain unresolved. During the last qualifying window, some criticism was directed toward Cone and the Gilas coaching staff for not extending the player pool – especially in light of injuries and the potential need for more scoring punch in tight games. The Asia Cup group stage format won’t offer much breathing room, and flexibility in roster construction and game planning may be key to surviving a tightly contested group like this one.

In the lead-up to the FIBA Asia Cup, Gilas Pilipinas is expected to go through its usual cycle of training camps, pocket tournaments, and tune-up games to build chemistry and finalize its rotation. While the Asia Cup no longer serves as a qualifier for the FIBA World Cup or the Olympics, it remains one of the most prestigious stages in Asian basketball – offering a platform for national pride and the opportunity to establish dominance in the region. For a team like the Philippines, with its deep basketball culture and growing pool of talent, a strong run in Saudi Arabia would be a major statement that Gilas remains among the elite in Asia and Oceania, if not the best.