GILAS Pilipinas has been drawn with Italy, Dominican Republic, and Angola in Group A in the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup.
Gilas Pilipinas groupmates in 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup
The composition of the groups were finalized during the draw ceremony held on Saturday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Gilas faces familiar foes in Italy and Angola, teams they played during the 2019 Fiba Basketball World Cup.
During that year, Gilas Pilipinas went winless in the group stage where they also played against Serbia in Foshan, China.
This time around, Gilas Pilipinas will be playing at the Big Dome with the exception of their first game where they will play at the Philippine Arena following a recent decision by the Fiba Central Board.
Gilas also played Dominican Republic during the Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Tokyo held in 2021 with a team coached by Tab Baldwin in Belgrade.
Gilas opens its campaign against Dominican Republic on August 25 at the Philippine Arena.
The scene shifts to the Big Dome when they play Angola on August 27 and Italy on August 29.
The draw also saw Serbia playing in Group B at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum along with China, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico.
Team USA will play in Group C along with Greece, Jordan, and New Zealand at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Also playing at the Pasay venue are Egypt, Mexico, Montenegro, and Lithuania in Group D.
Group E is composed of Germany, Finland, Australia, and Japan, while Group F will have Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia, and Venezuela. The two groups will play at the Okinawa Arena in Japan.
Drawn in Group G are Iran, Spain, Cote D’Ivoire, and Brazil, while comprising Group H are Canada, Latvia, Lebanon, and France. The two groups will play in Jakarta at the newly-built Indonesia Arena.
Several officials led by Fiba president Hamane Niang, secretary general Andreas Zagklis, and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan attended the draw ceremony.
Luis Scola, the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup global ambassador, and fellow former NBA cager Dirk Nowitzki were also present and made the trip to Manila for the draw.
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