KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia) - The Philippines and Indonesia are headed to the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024 after emerging as the top two teams of the SEABA Qualifiers.
The proud programs booked their tickets to the continental meet as early as Saturday after both went 2-0 in the tilt held at the MABA Stadium in the Malaysian capital.
Gilas were the first to do so after dealing Thailand an 87-53 loss, and the young Timnas went on to finalize the two-team envoy after defeating Malaysia, 77-64. The losing sides both went 0-2 following the said results.
The Philippines swept their way to the U18 Asia Cup, to be held from September 2-9 festivities in Amman, Jordan, following an 87-64 win over Indonesia on Sunday. Guard Andy Gemao showed the way with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists.
It will be the Philippines' eighth consecutive appearance in the U18 Asia Cup, while Indonesia will make a return since the 2018 edition in Thailand.
The Philippines and Indonesia are the latest to qualify for the U18 Asia Cup after the teams from the other Sub-Zone Qualifiers held in the past few weeks, namely India (SABA), Kazakhstan (CABA), and WABA teams Iran, Lebanon, and hosts Jordan.
They will be joining defending champions Korea and other East Asian teams in Japan, China, Chinese Taipei, and Mongolia, as well as Australia and New Zealand after the two went 1-2 in the FIBA U17 Oceania Championship 2023 in Papua New Guinea.
The top two teams from the GBA (Gulf) Qualifiers, scheduled on July 29-August 2 in Kuwait, will complete the 16-team ensemble for the U18 Asia Cup.
FIBA