Basketball in the Philippines is more than just a sport. Our country co-hosted the 2023 World Cup, and now it is competing for a spot in the upcoming tournament in Qatar. Ahead of the final stage of the qualifying windows in the first group round, 1xBet assesses the prospects of Gilas Pilipinas making it among the best on the planet.
What team achieves after the first stage
It is important to remember: in the Asian zone, three of the four squads from each group advance to the second round. The Philippines has almost certainly secured this spot after four games: with a head-to-head advantage over Guam, our basketball players can even afford to lose the two remaining matches.
However, the points earned in the first stage will carry over to the second one. That is why the clashes against New Zealand (July 3) and Australia (July 6) are crucial.
Key roster questions for the Philippines
The team’s main offensive force in the first four games has been forward Justin Brownlee. He will turn 38 in April, so whether the veteran can physically handle two tough matches in a row is a big question. An alternative could be New York Knicks player Jordan Clarkson, but there is only one slot for a naturalized player.
Clarkson’s physical condition after the upcoming NBA playoffs is also uncertain, not to mention that he hasn’t played for the national team since the previous World Cup in 2023. However, athletes of that level are not easily overlooked: Clarkson won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award and, in 2025, captured the NBA Cup with the Knicks. That said, it may already be too late to arrange for his participation.
The question of who will play at center also remains open. Talented Kai Sotto has returned to the court after tearing his ACL, but he did not appear in the national team’s February games. For the coaching staff, bringing him into the lineup now could be a risk. Therefore, they may rely on one of the four players called up to the February training camp: June Mar Fajardo, AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo, or Quentin Millora-Brown.
Round two: Who are the opponents?
In the second round, the Philippines will be grouped with squads from Group C. That quartet includes Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Iran. While all teams have a chance, the political situation in the Middle East adds uncertainty and could potentially affect the schedule. So far, the participants in this group have played only three games each.
To qualify directly for Qatar, the Philippines needs to finish in the top three of its group in the second round or become the best fourth-placed squad among the second-stage groups. All the uncertainty mentioned above makes the results of the remaining first-round clashes even more important. Beating Australia will be an incredibly difficult task, but our players are capable of fighting for a win against New Zealand: in their first match, the Philippines narrowly lost 66-69.
Of course, having appeared in three consecutive World Cups automatically makes Gilas Pilipinas a contender for a ticket to Qatar. Still, past results do not play the games, and the qualification path looks challenging even for the strongest squads in our region.
Follow the team's performance in the upcoming matches – we hope the 1xBet review will bring you some good news after the final games of the first stage!