Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia will officially square off in the PBA’s 50th season opener on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The league released the full schedule of the Philippine Cup eliminations on Wednesday during a press conference held at Shangri-La The Fort in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
READ: PBA: Ginebra braces for new season with key exits, Aguilar injury
But the faceoff between Ginebra and Magnolia had long been an open secret, with both teams actually made aware of the anticipated faceoff.
LA Tenorio is set for his Magnolia coaching debut against his former team, but there’s also the possibility of seeing action for the Hotshots after being placed on the injured/reserve list.
READ: PBA: LA Tenorio may see action for Magnolia as playing coach
Ginebra will start the season reeling from the departure of Jamie Malonzo to Japan but will also parade new players in rookie Sonny Estil and veteran Norbert Torres.
The game is set at 7:30 p.m. after the Leo Awards at 3 p.m. at nearby Novotel Manila and the opening ceremonies at 5 p.m.
The opener is one of four playdates at the Big Dome, with the majority of the eliminations to be held at the two Ynares Centers in Antipolo and Montalban.
Also part of the schedule are the games in Dubai in late-October and Bahrain in mid-December.
Action will take a break from Nov. 17 until Dec. 4 due to Gilas Pilipinas’ campaign in the first window of the Fiba World Cup Qualifiers.
The eliminations conclude on Dec. 19.
2025-10-01T06:16:53Z