Gilas Pilipinas slipped three places in the latest FIBA men's world rankings after going winless in the third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Philippines dropped to No. 39 in the world following a heartbreaking 106-102 double-overtime loss to New Zealand and a 92-49 defeat to Australia earlier this month.
The national team also fell to seventh in the Asia-Oceania region, trailing Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Iran, China and Lebanon.
Gilas has yet to win a game since sweeping Guam in the opening window of the qualifiers, finishing the first round with a 2-4 record.
Australia remains the highest-ranked team in the region at No. 7 in the world, followed by Japan at No. 22. New Zealand sits at No. 25, Iran at No. 26, China at No. 30 and Lebanon at No. 31.
China suffered the biggest drop among the region's top teams, falling four spots in the latest rankings.
Estonia also overtook Philippines, climbing to No. 36, ahead of Côte d'Ivoire at No. 37 and Ukraine at No. 38.
The latest window exposed Gilas' lack of depth against elite competition.
Justin Brownlee struggled in the loss to New Zealand before missing the Australia game because of a hamstring strain, right peroneal tendinopathy and left knee swelling with cartilage defects.
Philippines also played without towering big men Kai Sotto and Quentin Millora-Brown, both of whom could have bolstered the team's interior presence against the Oceania powerhouses.
Instead, Mike Phillips made his national team debut in the absence of the two centers.
Gilas was likewise without key veterans Scottie Thompson, CJ Perez and Calvin Oftana throughout the window.
"We've had a really outstanding trip. We've worked really hard through that trip, went through a tough game against New Zealand in double overtime, then lost our best player, and had to come here and play against these guys. They really were superior athletes," Gilas head coach Tim Cone said after the Australia loss.
What's next for Gilas Pilipinas?
The road to a 2027 FIBA World Cup berth only gets tougher for Philippines.
Gilas advances to the second round carrying its 2-4 record into Group E, where it joins fellow Group A qualifiers Australia and New Zealand, along with Syria, Iran and Jordan from Group C. Philippines will resume its campaign against Jordan on Aug. 28 before facing Iran two days later.
To qualify outright for the World Cup, Gilas must finish among the top three teams in Group E.
If it fails to do so, it must post a better record than the fourth-place finisher in Group F to secure one of the remaining qualifying berths.
Philippines has appeared in each of the last three FIBA World Cups, including serving as one of the hosts of the 2023 tournament in Manila.
Group F is currently led by Lebanon (5-1), followed by Japan (4-2), while Qatar, South Korea, China and Saudi Arabia are all tied at 3-3.
Given the standings, Philippines is virtually in a must-win situation for every game throughout the rest of the qualifiers.
Qatar, as host of the 2027 FIBA World Cup, has already secured an automatic berth.
After the August window, Gilas will face Syria on Nov. 27 and Iran on Nov. 30 before wrapping up the qualifiers in February 2027 against Syria and Jordan.
