Gilas Pilipinas will try to punch its ticket to the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 at home soil as the country serves as one of the hosts for the third and last window of the qualifiers in February.
FIBA announced on Friday, December 11 that Group A and Group C will compete in a bubble in Clark, Pampanga.
Clark successfully hosted the recently concluded PBA Philippine Cup, which Barangay Ginebra ruled for the first time in 13 years.
Undefeated after the first two windows, Gilas Pilipinas tops Group A with a 3-0 record followed by South Korea (2-0), Indonesia (1-2), and Thailand (0-4).
The Philippines is set to play 3 more games – two against Korea and one against Indonesia – and needs at least one win to clinch its berth for the continental showpiece.
Group C, comprised of Australia, New Zealand, Guam, and Hong Kong, will join Group A in Clark.
Tokyo will host Group B (Japan, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, China) and Doha will host Group E (Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar).
Manama will once again serve as host for Group D (Lebanon, Bahrain, India, Iraq) and Group F (Jordan, Kazakhstan, Palestine, Sri Lanka).
Gilas Pilipinas head coach Jong Uichico previously said the cadets who saw action in the second window will all be in contention for roster spots in the third window.
"All of them have equal chances," Uichico said. – Rappler.com