Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone and Kai Sotto during the Fiba Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers game. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—While Gilas Pilipinas faces a daunting task in the 2027 Fiba World Cup Qualifiers, coach Tim Cone knows anything is possible with Kai Sotto around.

Cone talked about potentially having the towering big man back from injury for Gilas, in time for the World Cup Qualifiers that start in November.

READ: Kai Sotto’s performance for Gilas draws raves 

“I’ll say it. With Kai, we can beat anybody,” said a Cone boldly after a PBA game at Philsports Arena on Friday night. “We’ve proven that after playing the fifth or sixth team in the world in their own house and beat them.”

Sotto is still recovering from his ACL injury, but things are looking up for the young center out of Ateneo. He also signed an extension with the Koshigaya Alphas for the 2025-26 season of the Japanese B.League.

‘WITH KAI [SOTTO] WE CAN BEAT ANYBODY’ 👀

Cone talks about the possibility of having Kai Sotto back in time for the Fiba World Cup Qualifiers.

There’s no official timetable yet for Sotto’s return from a torn ACL but he might be ready by “mid-October.” | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/b9bm6lWWTs

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) May 16, 2025

While there is no exact timetable yet for Sotto’s return to action, a target date was revealed by Cone to be sometime in October.

“We’ve heard that he may be back in mid or late-October and that may be enough time for him to get into the window,” Cone said.

“We can beat anybody if we get Kai back out there and we’re hoping to get him back at some point during that time.”

Gilas, however, still has one more duty before the World Qualifiers and the Nationals have to do it without Kai as they compete in the Asia Cup this August in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.