The road to a fourth straight FIBA World Cup appearance became significantly tougher for Gilas Pilipinas after going winless in the final two windows of the Asian Qualifiers' first round.

Although the Nationals still advanced to the second round, where they will face the top three teams from Group C, they carry over their 2-4 record from the first round — leaving them with plenty of ground to make up.

The Tim Cone-mentored squad opens the second round in fifth place in Group E with eight points. Australia sits comfortably on top with a perfect 6-0 record, while Iran and Jordan are tied for second at 5-1 (11 points each). New Zealand occupies fourth with a 4-2 slate and 10 points.

Only the top four teams from each second-round group will qualify for the 2027 FIBA World Cup. However, if host Qatar finishes outside the top four in Group F, the better ranked fourth-place team between Groups E and F will also earn a World Cup berth.

Gilas will play Jordan, Iran and Syria twice each in the second round, making every game critical. But the matchups against Jordan and Iran will likely have the biggest impact on the Philippines' qualification hopes, as those two teams are direct rivals for a top-four finish. At the same time, Gilas cannot afford any slip-up against Syria.

While there is still a long way to go, the ideal scenario for Gilas is for Australia and New Zealand — the two teams it has already finished playing — to sweep their remaining games against Jordan, Iran and Syria. That would prevent Jordan and Iran from widening the gap in the standings.

If Gilas also sweeps Syria, the race for the remaining qualification spots would largely come down to the Philippines, Jordan and Iran.

The best-case scenario, of course, is for Gilas to win all four of its games against Jordan and Iran, which would virtually guarantee qualification. Even a 3-1 record in those four games would put the Nationals in a strong position to advance.

A split (2-2) against Jordan and Iran would still keep Gilas in contention, but it could create a three-way tie for fourth place, with qualification then determined by head-to-head results and point differential.

With so much at stake, Gilas' opening game of the fourth window against Jordan on Aug. 28 could prove to be one of its biggest games in the entire qualifying campaign.