Gilas Pilipinas finishes 24th in World Cup, books ticket to Olympic qualifiers

After winning against China on Saturday in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Gilas Pilipinas has improved its finish in the standings at the end of its campaign.

From a 32nd place finish in the 2019 edition, the Philippines placed 24th in the final standing of the World Cup, with one win and four losses against the Dominican Republic, Angola, Italy, and South Sudan.

Along with the improved finish is a ticket to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, according to the FIBA Local Organizing Committee.

Seven teams will directly qualify to the Olympics, with South Sudan, Japan, and Australia already booking their slots after finishing as the best teams from their continents during the World Cup. The hunt for four teams, with two each from the Americas and Europe, are still open.

France, as host of the 2024 Paris Olympics, has also directly qualified to the 12-team Olympic field.

Four more teams could still secure slots to the Olympics through the OQT.

A total of 24 teams will play in the OQT,  three of which are the World Cup's second best teams from Asia/Oceania, Americas, and Africa, then the 16 next best-ranked teams in the tournament.

The five remaining teams came from the Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournaments which include Bahamas, Bahrain, Cameroon, Croatia, and Poland. 

The OQT will be played in July 2024.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News