PH to host 3 ACQ Window 3 groups

Japan, Chinese Taipei, and the rest of Group B will finish their ACQ stints in Angeles. FIBA (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--The Philippines has regained the rights to host Group C of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers even as a third group has been added in the country's upcoming bubble in Angeles.

On Friday night, FIBA announced that the Philippines will also host Group B in the third window scheduled from June 16-20.

By being the venue host, Gilas Pilipinas will host the Group A matches.

With this development, Gilas will welcome 11 teams that look to book spots in the FIBA Asia Cup in August in Jakarta.

Gilas is grouped alongside South Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand in Group A, while Group B consists of Chinese Taipei, Japan, Malaysia, and China; and Group C features Australia, New Zealand, Guam, and Hong Kong.

Like the second window last November, the games will be held in a bubble format due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center as the arena and the Quest Hotel in the nearby city of Mabalacat as the official residence.

The Philippines was initially offered to host the bubble for Groups A and C but begged off due to travel restrictions.

But with Qatar seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases too, the country backed out from hosting the Group A bubble, opening a chance for the Philippines to step in again.

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