Gilas Youth gets tough draw for 2024 Fiba U17 World Cup

FILE–Kieffer Alas and the Gilas Pilipinas boys youth team in in the Fiba U16 Asian Championship last year. –FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Gilas Pilipinas Youth team was drawn to the group of death in the 2024 Fiba Under-17 World Cup from Jun 29 to July 7 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Philippines was slated in Group A with World No.2 Spain, Lithuania, and Puerto Rico.

Kieffer Alas and the young nationals will be facing a daunting task in their first game against Spain, which lost to Team USA in the 2022 U17 World Cup on its home turf.

READ: Gilas Boys cruise to Fiba U16 Asian Championship quarterfinals

Gilas Youth will also go up against the World No. 7 Lithuania and No.15 Puerto Rico but all 16 teams will advance to the final phase as the top seed and the No.2 squad of the group will face the other group’s Nos. 4 and 3 teams, respectively, in knockout games. 

Group A is paired with Group B, while teams from Group C face Group D squads in the Final phase.

USA, which is eyeing its seventh straight U17 World Cup title, headline Group B with China, France, and Guinea.

READ: Gilas boys’ Kieffer Alas makes Fiba Asia U16 All-Star Five 

Group C is composed of host country Turkey, Argentina, and Italy, while Egypt, Germany, Canada, and Australia will clash in Group D.

Alas and the young Gilas earned the World Cup berth after beating Japan in the 2023 Fiba Under-16 Asian Championships in September last year.