Defending Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beermen and crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra are set to light up Dubai when they face off in a marquee rematch at the Coca-Cola Arena on October 26 at 6 p.m. (Dubai time).
The showdown marks the PBA’s long-awaited return to the United Arab Emirates, its first game in the bustling city in six years. The timing couldn’t be more fitting, as the league continues to roll out international stops as part of its grand 50th anniversary celebration.
This will be the first meeting between the two powerhouse squads since San Miguel survived Barangay Ginebra in a thrilling Game 7 of last season’s All-Filipino Cup semifinals—a matchup that still lingers in the minds of fans. Expect no shortage of intensity when the Beermen and Kings collide again on foreign soil.
The Dubai duel is just the beginning. On December 15–17, three PBA squads are scheduled to play in Bahrain in conjunction with the country’s National Day festivities. League officials are also eyeing additional overseas showcases in Doha, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and even New York City before the season draws to a close.
The PBA’s last Dubai outing came in 2019 with a two-day Governors’ Cup spectacle, also held at Coca-Cola Arena. That series featured San Miguel, Ginebra, and NLEX. The Beermen edged the Road Warriors in the opener, 98-94, before NLEX pulled off a stunning 113-111 overtime victory the next night, erasing a 28-point deficit to shock the Kings.
With the league marking its golden milestone, Dubai gets front-row seats once again to one of Philippine basketball’s most electrifying rivalries.
