Gilas Pilipinas opens its FIBA Asia Cup 2025 campaign against Chinese-Taipei on Wednesday, August 6 (Philippine time), looking to make a strong statement in the group stage.
The Philippines will take the court at 2:00 AM (Manila time) in their Group D opener, the final match of a quadruple-header, as they look to build early momentum in the tournament.
The last time these two nations faced off, Chinese-Taipei stunned the Philippines, 91-84, during the qualis last February 20.
Next up for Gilas is a high-stakes rematch with world No. 22 New Zealand on Friday, August 8, at 11:00 PM (Manila time).
The two squads also split their meetings in the qualifiers, with Gilas drawing first blood back on November 21, taking a 93-89 victory.
Gilas will close out group play with a midday battle against Iraq on Saturday, August 9, at 4:00 PM, aiming to secure a top spot and an automatic berth to the quarterfinals.
Only the group winners advance directly to the final eight, while second and third placers will face off in the play-in games on August 11 and 12 for the last four quarterfinal slots.
The quarterfinals are scheduled for August 13 and 14, followed by the semifinals on August 16.
The gold medal and third-place matches will be played on August 17.
The Philippines looks to end a nearly four-decade drought since their last Asia Cup title in 1985.
