MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas now has a clear picture for the 2023 FIBA World Cup as results of the draw were known Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With the draw, which had been attended by FIBA World Cup ambassador Luis Scola, along with former NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki and Yao Ming, the Philippines finally found out their foes after they were pre-allocated to Group A.
Gilas will be playing against Angola, Dominican Republic and Italy, as the Nationals aim to improve on a winless campaign in 2019.
It can be recalled that Gilas also played against Angola in the World Cup in China.
Per the FIBA announcement earlier this week, Gilas’ first two group games will be held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, while the rest of Group A’s games will be at the Big Dome.
Group B features Nikola Jokic’s Serbia, South Sudan, China and Puerto Rico and will play also at Araneta.
Meanwhile, Team USA, pre-allocated in Group C, will face Greece, Jordan and New Zealand in the group games set at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Group D is the other group the Philippines will host in Pasay, and it features Egypt, Mexico, Montenegro and Lithuania.
Here are the other groupings:
Group E: Germany, Finland, Australia, Japan
Group F: Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia, Venezuela
Group G: Iran, Spain, Ivory Coast, Brazil
Group H: Canada, Latvia, Lebanon, France
Groups E and F play at the Okinawa Arena in Japan, while Groups G and F will be hosted by Indonesia at the Indonesia Arena.