Gilas Pilipinas Women squad is determined to field a tall unit when it competes in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in March 2026 at the Astroballe in Villeurbanne, France.

Gilas head coach Pat Aquino said he wants to deploy a tall roster that is capable of competing against powerhouse squads like world No. 3 France, No. 8 Nigeria, and No. 12 Germany in Group D of this prestigious event that serves as a gateway to the World Cup that will be held in Berlin in September next year.

Aside from France, Nigeria and Germany, Gilas Women will also be facing No. 15 Korea and No. 19 Colombia, leaving Aquino with no choice but to boost his squad with taller, heftier players.

“We don’t just want to match up with the other teams. We have to have something. You know, we have something different from them,” said Aquino, whose wards are coming off a sixth-place finish in the FIBA Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China last July.

“We want to add a bit more height, shooting, and speed in our squad.”

Aquino hopes they will be able to win a game or two in the qualifiers so they can show their heart and grit despite being the lowest-ranked team in the group at No. 39.

“Well, it’s not going to be easy but I’m not going to say I’m just happy to be there. We try to expand our expectations,” Aquino added in a telephone conversation with DAILY TRIBUNE.

“Hopefully, you know, we can hit that goal that we wanted to have by just doing our best all the time.”

Based on the tournament format, the top three teams per group will secure slots in the World Cup. However, the Filipinas have to finish in the top two as they are stacked with the Germans, who will be given an automatic slot for serving as World Cup hosts.