{"id":43314,"date":"2026-02-25T20:15:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/?p=43314"},"modified":"2026-02-25T17:28:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T13:28:06","slug":"gilas-pilipinas-roster-fiba-qualifiers-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/gilas-pilipinas-roster-fiba-qualifiers-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Gilas Pilipinas Finalizes Roster for Crucial FIBA Qualifiers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"background: #f7fafc; padding: 15px;\">\n<p><strong>Quick Read<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gilas Pilipinas announced its 12-man roster for the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers Window Two.<\/li>\n<li>Juan Gomez de Liano is set to debut under Coach Tim Cone; Justine Baltazar and RJ Abarrientos are out for the first game.<\/li>\n<li>Gilas will play New Zealand on February 26 and Australia on March 1, both at 7:30 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena.<\/li>\n<li>A win against New Zealand could secure Gilas a spot in the next round of the qualifiers.<\/li>\n<li>The team previously won against Guam twice in Window One.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>MANILA (Azat TV) \u2013 Gilas Pilipinas has finalized its 12-man roster for the critical Window Two games of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, set to take place on home soil at the Mall of Asia Arena. The national team is gearing up for crucial encounters against New Zealand on February 26 and Australia on March 1, with a victory against the Tall Blacks potentially securing their advancement to the next round.<\/p>\n<p>The roster announcement, made on Wednesday, February 25, revealed significant changes, notably the inclusion of Juan Gomez de Liano, who is slated to make his debut under the coaching of Tim Cone. Meanwhile, Justine Baltazar, RJ Abarrientos, and Troy Rosario were not included in the initial 12-man lineup for the New Zealand game, though sources indicate they remain potential call-ups for the subsequent match against Australia.<\/p>\n<h2>Gilas Pilipinas Roster Changes and Debut<\/h2>\n<p>The selection process for the national team&#8217;s representation in the upcoming qualifiers has brought new faces to the forefront. Juan Gomez de Liano, a Converge teammate of Baltazar, earned his spot, marking a significant milestone in his career as he prepares for his first appearance with Gilas Pilipinas in the Tim Cone era. Coach Cone, known for his strategic prowess, has largely leaned on a core group of seasoned players, balancing experience with emerging talent.<\/p>\n<p>The final 12-man roster for the clash against New Zealand includes a blend of veteran presence and promising youth: Kevin Quiambao, Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, Scottie Thompson, June Mar Fajardo, Cjay Perez, Carl Tamayo, Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Quentin Millora-Brown, naturalized player Justin Brownlee, and debutant Juan Gomez de Liano. The decision to initially omit Baltazar, Abarrientos, and Rosario underscores the competitive nature of securing a spot on the national squad, with the coaching staff opting for specific combinations believed to be most effective against the formidable New Zealand side.<\/p>\n<h2>Crucial FIBA Qualifiers Schedule Ahead<\/h2>\n<p>The Philippines will host both of its Window Two matches at the Mall of Asia Arena, providing Gilas Pilipinas with the advantage of a home crowd. The schedule is set as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>February 26, 7:30 p.m.: Gilas Pilipinas vs. New Zealand<\/li>\n<li>March 1, 7:30 p.m.: Gilas Pilipinas vs. Australia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These games are pivotal for Gilas Pilipinas&#8217; campaign in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers. According to FIBA, a win against New Zealand could be enough for the Philippines to clinch a berth in the next round, as only the top three teams in the group will advance. This makes the opening game against the Tall Blacks particularly high-stakes.<\/p>\n<h2>Path to the FIBA World Cup<\/h2>\n<p>Gilas Pilipinas has already demonstrated strong performances in the first window of the qualifiers, securing dominant victories against Guam with scores of 87-46 on November 28 and 95-71 on December 1. These wins have positioned the team favorably heading into Window Two, building momentum for their ultimate goal of qualifying for the FIBA World Cup 2027.<\/p>\n<p>The upcoming matches against New Zealand and Australia represent a significant challenge. Both teams are considered powerhouses in Asian basketball, and Gilas Pilipinas will need to leverage its home-court advantage and the talent of its selected roster to secure the necessary results. The strategic decisions made by Coach Tim Cone regarding player rotations and game plans will be crucial in navigating these tough contests.<\/p>\n<h2>Previous Encounters and Stakes<\/h2>\n<p>Historically, Gilas Pilipinas has had mixed results against both New Zealand and Australia. Past matchups against New Zealand include a 86-94 loss in the FIBA Asia Cup on August 7, 2025, and a 70-87 defeat in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers on February 23, 2025, following a 93-89 victory on November 21, 2024. Against Australia, Gilas faced a 60-84 loss in the FIBA Asia Cup on August 13, 2025, and prior defeats in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in 2018 (53-89 and 68-84). These past results underscore the competitive nature of these regional rivalries and the intensity expected in the upcoming games.<\/p>\n<p>The immediate goal remains clear: secure a victory against New Zealand to ensure advancement. The composition of the Gilas Pilipinas roster, with new talent integrated and established players taking key roles, reflects the strategic adjustments made to meet this objective. The support of the home crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena will be a vital factor as the team strives to continue its journey towards the FIBA World Cup 2027.<\/p>\n<p><em>The strategic selection of players, including the debut of Juan Gomez de Liano, highlights Coach Tim Cone&#8217;s focused approach to securing a critical win against New Zealand, which is essential for Gilas Pilipinas&#8217; immediate progression in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gilas Pilipinas announced its 12-man roster for crucial FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers matches against New Zealand and Australia. A win against New Zealand could secure their next-round berth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":-1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow5Nm1DA:productID":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[4569,9560,49380,49379,49381,49383,9091,49382],"class_list":["post-43314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sport","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-fiba-world-cup-qualifiers","tag-gilas-pilipinas","tag-juan-gomez-de-liano","tag-mall-of-asia-arena","tag-new-zealand","tag-tim-cone"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Gilas-Pilipinas.jpg","_embedded":{"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":-1,"source_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Gilas-Pilipinas.jpg","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43314\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}