2027 FIBA Women's Asia Cup in Cebu: SBP ramps up preparations

CEBU CITY, Philippines — With the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup still a year away, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has already shifted into preparation mode for Cebu’s historic hosting of the continent’s premier women’s basketball tournament.

SBP Executive Director Erika Dy said the federation has begun extensive preparations for the tournament, which is scheduled from July 10 to 18, 2027, at the newly built SM Seaside Arena Cebu.

Speaking during the unveiling of the tournament’s official logo earlier this week in Cebu, Dy said the SBP is currently focused on building the organizational structure that will serve as the backbone of the event.

“Marami na kaming nasimulan, one of them is the back-end organization. We already met and talked to the people sa SM Seaside Arena, ano yung capacity, its difference sa Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena,” said Dy.

The tournament will mark a milestone for Philippine basketball, as it will be Cebu’s first-ever FIBA event and the country’s first time hosting the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup.

READ: Cebu to host historic FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in 2027

Infrastructure, organizing power

Dy said one of the federation’s priorities was convincing FIBA that Cebu has both the facilities and the organizational capability to stage a world-class international tournament.

“We had to show FIBA that we have an arena that has the capacity to host. That’s number one. We also showed na ready ang organization nyo to host ang tournament na ito. Malaking bagay na kakagaling lang natin to host the World Cup. At saka hindi lang yung kakayahan ng mga Filipino, pero yung passion ng Filipinos sa basketball kasi gusto nila marami yung manonood. Ayaw naman nilang dalhin ang tournament sa lugar kahit na maganda ang arena at maganda ang pag-organize eh wala namang manonood. So, inaasahan natin yan sa mga tao sa Cebu to come out and support the tournament,” she said.

Dy added that the SBP has already coordinated extensively with the FIBA Asia Office, including finalizing the tournament’s branding, which was officially launched this week.

“We already talked to the FIBA Asia Office. We even prepared and unveiled the branding already, which is the first thing that we did. Kaya yung unang event namin is the unveiling of the official logo for branding. We put a lot of work into this branding. We told them the design should be all about the City of Cebu, the province of Cebu, and the culture here. From there, doon nabuo ang logo ng FIBA Women’s Asia Cup,” Dy said.

READ: FIBA Women’s Asia Cup: SBP, PSC excited for Cebu tournament

PH in tough Group B

On the court, the Philippines has been drawn into a tough Group B alongside Asian powerhouses Japan and China, as well as Lebanon. Group A features defending champion Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, and Taiwan.

The top two teams from each group will advance directly to the semifinals, while the remaining semifinal berths will be determined through crossover qualification games involving the second- to fourth-placed teams from each bracket.

Despite the challenging group, Dy believes Gilas Pilipinas Women has a legitimate chance of reaching the Final Four. The national team finished sixth in the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in China, and she believes the squad can build on that result with a full year of preparation and the advantage of playing before a home crowd.

A semifinal appearance, or at least a fourth-place finish, would also be crucial, as it would secure the Philippines a spot in the qualifying pathway for the basketball tournament of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

READ: Lauren Jackson tips hat to women leading basketball’s rise

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