SCENARIOS: How can the Meralco Bolts qualify for the EASL Finals?

The Meralco Bolts’ path to the 2026 EASL Finals is set. 

On February 11, the Bolts will take on the Ryukyu Golden Kings in their Group B finale at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, and the stakes could not be higher.

For the second straight year, Meralco's EASL playoff hopes hinges on the final game of group play.

Meralco enters the Ryukyu showdown with a 3–2 record, sitting third in the tightly-contested Group B behind the Golden Kings (3–1) and the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots (4–1). 

With only two teams advancing from the group, the Bolts’ playoff fate hangs in the balance—and the scenarios are razor-thin. But first, another crucial game must play out.

Taoyuan and Ryukyu will meet on February 4, and if the Pilots win it's a simple but unforgiving task for Meralco: beat the Golden Kings as well to secure a spot in the EASL Finals. 

[RELATED: Meralco to host Ryukyu Golden Kings at the Big Dome for crucial EASL showdown]

But if Ryukyu triumphs over Taoyuan, the Bolts will have an extra stipulation becomes.

Should the Golden Kings win over the Pilots, the Bolts won’t just need a win—they must defeat Ryukyu by at least nine points to overcome their earlier 81–72 loss to the B.LEAGUE powerhouse last October.

[RELATED: RHJ fires 25 but Meralco still bows to Ryukyu Golden Kings in EASL opener]

Triple-tie still on the table 

If Ryukyu defeats Taoyuan and then falls to Meralco, all three teams would finish with identical records, triggering additional EASL tiebreaker rules. 

The league will communicate the applicable tiebreaker rules soon to accommodate the standings in the the event of a triple tie.  

Riding on three-game winning run, can the Bolts pick up where it left off and punched its way to the next round? 

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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.

Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.