GILAS Pilipinas faces a challenging road to the 2027 FIBA World Cup after landing in a loaded Group A alongside basketball powerhouses Australia (world No. 7), New Zealand (No. 22), and Guam.

The draw took place Tuesday night in Doha, Qatar. The Asian Qualifiers kick off in November 2025 and will feature a home-and-away, double round-robin format over three windows: November 2025, February 2026, and July 2026.

The top three teams from each group move on to the second round, where Group A merges with Group C, which includes Iran, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. In the second round, teams face only opponents from the merged group, with first-round results carrying over. These games run through August 2026, November 2026, and February 2027.

Only the top three teams from each second-round group, the host nation Qatar, and the best fourth-placed team overall will qualify for the FIBA World Cup, scheduled for August 27 to September 12, 2027.

Gilas, currently ranked No. 34 globally, will also square off with New Zealand in the FIBA Asia Cup group stage in Jeddah this August. The two sides split their previous Asia Cup Qualifier meetings.

The Philippines is eyeing its fourth consecutive World Cup appearance.