SEREMBAN (Malaysia) - All eyes are on the Philippines as the Division A newcomers will look to take their game a couple of notches up in the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup 2026 Qualification to Semi-Finals on Thursday.
Coming off a historic breakthrough against New Zealand, Gilas Youth are keen on riding that wave of momentum when they take on China at 19:00 local time at the Karisma Arena - with the hope, of course, to advance.
Fans and observers alike did not expect the Southeast Asian side to go this far, let alone post a win, coming into the bout after toiling in Division B for a while, but all that changed when they ground out a 69-64 victory.
Now, they actually have a shot at going deeper into the tournament, which if they do would not only mean a trip to the Semi-Finals, but to the prestigious FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2027 as well.
The Top 4 finishers of the ongoing tourney will represent Asia in the continental conclave to be held in Chengdu, China, giving Team Dragon an automatic seeding in the July 17-25, 2027 showpiece being the hosts.
And if they do reach the Semi-Finals - by beating the Philippines, of course - then the winner of the Classification 5-6 game featuring the losing teams in the play-in will join the cast to the U19 Women's World Cup
There's a lot of possibilities now for Gilas Youth but their focus, for now, is on China, who finished as the 2nd-best team in Group B after their bid of sweeping the pool got foiled by long-time rivals Japan, 73-68.
Needless to say, Team China are coming in a hungry bunch as the 2024 runners-up would've preferred a much easier road to the Semi-Fjnals, but will have to overcome an inspired Philippines side to book a return trip.
As far as the head-to-head is concerned, their upcoming bout will be the two program's second-ever meeting in this competition.
Per available records, the first time that China and the Philippines squared off against one another was in 1998, when the event was still known as ABC Under-18 Championship for Junior Women. China won, 121-29.
Will the present-day China be as dominant as in that encounter, or will the Filipina dribblers be able to flip the script this time and pull off arguably the biggest upset of the tournament? That we have to see.
As exciting as that bout is, lest we forget about two other teams hoping to reach the Semi-Finals - and make the trip to Chengdu - in Korea and Chinese Taipei, both of whom are taking the floor at 16:30 local time.
Chinese Taipei completed the Final Phase picture by crushing host nation Malaysia, keeping their hopes of getting into the penultimate stage - something that they haven't done since 2022 - very much alive.
But the 3rd-seeded team of Group B will have to get through the 2-1 Korea, who before falling to the mighty Australia started out strong by picking up solid victories over New Zealand and the Philippines, in that order.
Plus, history is on the side of Team Korea in this matchup. In the 14 times they've met in this competition, Korea have won 12 times, including the last 6 - a streak that began during the 2014 edition in Amman, Jordan.
The last time that Chinese Taipei won was in 2010 in Surat Thani, Thailand: a 78-54 result to clinch third place in the event ruled by China.
Already in the Semi-Finals are Australia and Japan after clinching the top spot in Groups A and B, respectively, with 3-0 records.
The Gems will face the winner between China and the Philippines, while the AKATSUKI JAPAN are set to take on either Korea or Chinese Taipei. The knockout Semi-Finals is set for Friday, October 9.
Meanwhile, battling it out in the Classification 7-8 game - to be held before the Qualification to Semi-Finals - are Malaysia and New Zealand as both teams finished dead last in their groups with 0-3 records.
Crucial is that match for their Division A status as the losing side will be relegated to Division B come the next U18 Women's Asia Cup.
FIBA