Philippines (W) vs Senegal Prediction 20 August 2026

The Asian squad leans heavily on center Animam’s presence in the paint. Up against the tall, physical African defenders, she’ll be forced to expend twice as much energy on both ends of the floor. The Philippines’ recurring issue is their positional defense, especially when facing powerful drives - this often results in their key rotation players racking up fouls. Expect the Philippines to push the tempo, looking to score in transition and fire from beyond the arc before the defense gets set. However, the greater agility and skill of their opponents along the perimeter will likely neutralize any threat from long range. Overall, the Filipinas have struggled mightily to put up points, averaging just 70 per game across their last 10 outings.

The African squad have brought a powerhouse frontcourt to Guadalajara. Centers Faye and Kane are a lock to dominate the glass and rack up plenty of second-chance points. Naturalized point guard Dillard operates as an elite playmaker at this level - she not only scores herself, but consistently finds the open bigs. Still, fans are disappointed that even with their solid performances, it wasn’t enough to progress to the next round - the likes of Canada and Mexico simply proved too strong, both securing double-digit wins over Senegal.