Gilas Pilipinas dropped one spot to No. 40 in the latest FIBA men’s world rankings despite sweeping Iran and Jordan in the fourth window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
The Philippines fell from No. 39 in the rankings released Sept. 1 but remained the seventh-ranked team in Asia with 397.3 points.
The Philippines trails Australia, which stayed at No. 7 in the world, along with Japan at No. 22, New Zealand at No. 25, Iran at No. 28, China at No. 30 and Lebanon at No. 33.
The two victories gave Gilas a major boost in its World Cup qualifying campaign, particularly the win over Iran.
Gilas coach Tim Cone could hardly contain his excitement after the team’s sweep.
“I’m extremely happy,” Cone said. “Kai [Sotto] just asked me walking in, are you now the happiest guy in the world? Because I said earlier, if we can win these two games, I’ll be the happiest guy in the world. So right now, I’m the happiest guy in the world.”
Cone said beating Iran carried added significance because of the Philippines’ difficult record against the Asian powerhouse.
“These are two really, really high-level international teams,” Cone said. “Iran especially, I understand. I read something in FIBA that this is only the third win we’ve had against them in the last 13 games.”
Gilas also enjoyed the home-court advantage, making the victory even more memorable for Cone.
“We were able to do it, all Filipino pa. So it just makes it h sweet to come out and win this game. And to do it at home,” he said.
At the top of the global rankings, the United States remained No. 1 with 952.3 points, followed by Germany at No. 2.
France climbed to No. 3, dislodging Serbia to fourth after the two European teams each won both of their games during the latest window.
Canada, Spain, Australia, Argentina, Türkiye and Lithuania completed the top 10.
Türkiye made the biggest jump among the top 10, rising two places to No. 9 after becoming the first team to secure a berth in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Mexico also climbed two places to No. 26 after beating Colombia and Brazil, while Angola made the biggest gain among the top 80 teams, jumping five spots to No. 27 after wins over Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
FIBA also introduced a second tier to its Margin of Victory Factor. Teams receive a bonus for winning by at least 15 points, while victories by 30 or more points now receive a higher multiplier in calculating Game Rating Points.
The latest update brings the FIBA men’s world ranking to 159 teams. FIBA/FROM THE WIRES
