Gilas Pilipinas moves up to 37 in FIBA world rankings

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio envisions a future where Gilas Pilipinas ranks among the top 20 basketball teams globally.

Recently, the team made progress in this pursuit by moving up one spot in the latest FIBA world rankings, now standing at 37th place.

Following an impressive performance in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers’ first window, where they dominated Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei by a combined 83 points, the Philippines surpassed Nigeria to claim the 37th position.

Despite this advancement, the Philippine national basketball team remains as the eighth-highest ranked team in Asia-Oceania, trailing behind Australia (5th), New Zealand (21st), Japan (26th), Iran (27th), Lebanon (28th), China (29th), and Jordan (32nd).

Among these teams, only Australia experienced a shift in rankings, dropping to fifth place while Serbia climbed to fourth.

At the top of the world rankings, USA holds first place followed by Spain and Germany.

Notably, Latvia made significant strides by moving from 8th to 6th place within the top 10 teams, surpassing Canada and Argentina. Canada now sits at 7th place with Argentina following close behind at 8th. France holds 9th place with Lithuania rounding out the top 10.

The rise of Latvia poses a challenge for Gilas Pilipinas as they prepare for their upcoming match against Latvia in Riga during July’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Additionally, they will also compete against Georgia which maintains its position at No.23 on the rankings list.