Photo credit: PBA

Gilas Pilipinas just got dealt a tough hand in its road to the 2027 FIBA World Cup, landing in what's already being dubbed the "Group of Death."

In the official draw held early Wednesday morning (Manila time) at Al Hazm in Doha, Qatar, the Philippines was placed in Group A alongside Australia (ranked No. 7 in the world), New Zealand (No. 22), and Guam, which features PBA standout Jericho Cruz.

That puts Gilas, currently ranked No. 34, right up against two regional juggernauts—the Boomers and Tall Blacks—in the first round of the Asia-Oceania qualifiers.

National team deputy coach Sean Chambers was on hand to represent the country during the draw, which was co-supervised by none other than FIBA Global Ambassador and NBA legend Carmelo Anthony.

Here’s how the rest of the groups stack up:

• Group B: Japan, China, South Korea, Chinese Taipei

• Group C: Iran, Jordan, Syria, Iraq

• Group D: Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, India, Qatar (host)

The qualifiers will span six home-and-away windows, starting late November. The top three teams from each group will move on to the second round, with Group A merging with Group C, and Groups B and D forming another combined group.

Importantly, first round records carry over, making every win—and point—count.

In the end, only the top three teams from each second-round group, plus the best fourth-placer and host Qatar, will punch their tickets to the 2027 FIBA World Cup.

For Gilas, the road to the World Cup just got a lot more challenging—but also a lot more exciting.