The PBA will enter another lengthy break to help Gilas Pilipinas prepare for Window 5 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.
Commissioner Willie Marcial told Tiebreaker Times Tuesday that the league will pause the Season 50 Governors’ Cup after the best-of-five quarterfinals to give the national team ample time for its games versus Iran and Syria in Malaysia.
Group E matches will be held on neutral grounds again, similar to the previous window last August, which was played at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
There, Gilas revived its World Cup hopes by picking up dramatic wins over Jordan and Iran, in the process improving its record to .500 (4-4).
(C) PBA Images
The PBA is now at the tail end of a nearly two-month break as it gave way to Gilas’ international campaigns, from Window 4 to the 20th Asian Games in Japan last September, where the team bombed out of the group stage.
Action resumes on October 7 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, with the debuting Deonte Burton and NLEX taking on guest team Macau in the double-header opener, followed by a clash between reigning TNT and Terrafirma.
The group phase will run until October 23, a gameday featuring Rain or Shine versus Phoenix Super LPG and Barangay Ginebra against Blackwater — bouts that were postponed last August 9 due to severe weather conditions.
The quarterfinals is projected to start by October 25 and could end as early as October 30, if the league reverts to its usual Wednesday-Friday-Sunday schedule.
It also depends on if and when the Commissioner’s Office decides to have a quick break for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on November 1 and 2.
