Gilas Pilipinas ended its campaign in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 with a seventh-place finish in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, extending the Philippines’ four-decade-long championship drought in the continental tournament.
The national team closed out with a 2-3 win-loss record, an improvement from the ninth-place result in the 2022 edition in Jakarta, but still far from ending its last title run, which dates back to 1985 behind the Northern Consolidated national team.
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A Better Finish, But Still Short
The Filipinos had a rough start in the group stage, falling to Chinese Taipei and New Zealand before notching a crucial win against Iraq. That victory propelled Gilas to the classification phase, where it secured a hard-fought overtime win against host Saudi Arabia, 95-88, to book a quarterfinal berth against powerhouse Australia.
The round of eight, however, proved to be too steep of a challenge. Gilas ran into the defending champions and absorbed a crushing 84-60 loss, which officially dashed hopes of a return to the podium.
“The finish was an improvement to the ninth-place finish of the Philippines during the 2022 edition of the meet in Jakarta, Indonesia where it failed to make the quarterfinals,” a report noted.
Despite the small climb, the Philippines remained outside of medal contention. Its last two podium finishes came in 2013 and 2015 when Gilas won back-to-back silvers in Manila and Changsha, China.
Asia Cup Title Still Elusive
This year’s results again highlight how elusive the Asian crown has been for the Philippines. The country last reigned as champion in Kuala Lumpur in 1985 and has yet to replicate that feat despite several near misses in the past decades.
“The finish wasn’t enough to end the country’s 40-year title drought since last winning the championship in 1985 behind the Northern Consolidated national team,” a report pointed out.
While Gilas settled for seventh, it still managed to place higher than Lebanon, which finished eighth after blowing a 22-point lead to New Zealand in a narrow 90-86 loss. South Korea kept its sixth-place standing from 2022, while Chinese Taipei finished fifth—its best in a decade.
The final medal round will be decided among Australia, China, Iran, and New Zealand, with the championship set on Monday.
