Gilas to face Latvia, Georgia in FIBA OQT 2024
2023-Nov-28 17:00
2024-Jul-15 01:19
PHOTO: FIBA
Formidable foes await Gilas Pilipinas in its last conquest to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Gilas is up against Latvia and Georgia in Group A of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) next year after the draw led by Sudan federation Luol Deng at FIBA's headquarters in Mies, Switzerland.
Latvia will host Groups A and B, featuring Brazil, Montenegro, and Cameroon, in Riga on July 2-7, 2024.
The top two teams in each group will meet in the crossover semifinals, with Group A top seed facing Group B runner-up while the Group B winner battles Group A second-place team. Winning semifinalists vie for the lone Olympic berth.
The same format applies to other OQTs to be held simultaneously in different locations next year.
As the lowest-ranked side in Group A, it is a tall task for the Philippines to accomplish for an Olympic return after 52 years. Gilas finished 24th in the 32-team FIBA World Cup 2023 behind a 1-4 win-loss.
Philippine opponents, meanwhile, impressed in their respective World Cup debuts.
Georgia, ranked 23rd globally, reached the second round, placing 16th overall. On the other hand, world number 8 Latvia made a name for themselves after a surprising fifth-place finish despite missing the service of their top gun and Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis.
Second-ranked Spain will host the other OQT in Valencia. The Spanish squad is drawn with Lebanon and Angola, while other nations joining them are Finland, Poland, and Bahamas in Group B.
Luka Doncic's Slovenia is on a collision course with Giannis Antetokounmpo's and OQT host Greece in Piraeus. The Slovenians are in Group A, alongside New Zealand and Croatia, while the Greeks are in Group B, including Egypt and the Dominican Republic.
The San Juan qualifier features host Puerto Rico, Bahrain, and Italy in Group A and Mexico, Lithuania, and Ivory Coast in Group B.
The four OQT winners will join host France and World Cup qualifiers Germany and Serbia (Eurobasket), Canada and the United States (FIBA Americas), Australia (FIBA Oceania), Japan (FIBA Asia), and South Sudan (Afrobasket) in the basketball festivities in the French capital in 2024.