MANILA -- Gilas Pilipinas will take on South Sudan at the start of the FIBA World Cup classification round on Thursday at the Araneta Coliseum.

It will be the first of two games for the Philippines, as they attempt to claim a ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

To boost the Philippines' chances of making it to Paris, the Filipinos will need to get past the third and fourth placers in Group B in pivotal matchups.

South Sudan ended up at third place in Group B with a 1-2 slate following a 115-83 loss to Serbia on Wednesday. This set them up for a clash against Gilas which ended up at the bottom of the Group A standings with a 0-3 record.

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The match begins at 8 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.

The nationals' next classification assignment will be against Group B fourth placer China on Sunday.

Just like Gilas, China also went winless in Group B.

Only the best-placed Asian team in the FIBA World Cup will get an Olympic berth.

Japan already gained a head start over other Asian teams after finishing the first round with a 1-2 record. The World Cup co-hosts beat Finland, 98-88, last Sunday before a loss to Australia eliminated them from contention.

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