The 2027 FIBA Women's Asia Cup will be held in the Philippines

Photo source: fiba.basketball

The FIBA Regional Office Asia said on Thursday that the Philippines will host the FIBA Women's Asia Cup in 2027.

The competition is returning to the Philippines for the first time in more than ten years. When the men's national team, Gilas Pilipinas, won a silver medal in the FIBA Asia Cup and qualified for the FIBA World Cup after a 36-year break, Manila hosted its last significant FIBA Asia event in 2013.

Since then, the Philippines has played home to a number of international basketball tournaments, including the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

According to FIBA Executive Director-Asia Hagop Khajirian, the tournament's return to the Philippines is anticipated to support the growth of women's basketball on a local and regional level.

"We think that holding the FIBA Women's Asia Cup in the Philippines, a country with a fervent basketball fan base, will support FIBA's initiatives to advance women's basketball in Asia. According to Khajirian, the occasion would also support the SBP's initiatives to advance women's basketball in the Philippines.

The announcement was welcomed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), which noted the increasing popularity of women's basketball in the nation.

"With the establishment of a women's professional league and the opportunity for some of our national team players to play overseas, women's basketball in the nation is currently experiencing tremendous momentum, so the timing couldn't be better," SBP President Alfredo Panlilio said.

In the meantime, FIBA revealed who would host other forthcoming Asian competitions.  In 2027 and 2028, respectively, Indonesia will host the FIBA U16 Women's Asia Cup and the FIBA U18 Asia Cup.  The country is also set to stage the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2028 and the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in 2029.

In 2026, Qatar will host the FIBA U18 Asia Cup, while in 2028, Kazakhstan will host the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup, making it the first Central Asian nation to host a FIBA Asia competition. In 2027, Jordan will host the FIBA U16 Asia Cup.