WELLINGTON — The Philippine Azkals are set to face familiar regional foes as they begin their campaign to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Michael Weiss’ men, currently ranked 135th in the world, have been drawn into Group F for both competitions’ second qualification round. In this group, they will compete against Iraq, Vietnam, and either Indonesia or Brunei. The draw took place Thursday afternoon at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Group F includes Iraq as the highest-ranked team at 70th in the world. This will mark the first official match between the Azkals and the Lions of Mesopotamia. Vietnam is the next strongest team on paper, ranked 95th in the world.
The Philippines previously faced Vietnam in a friendly match just before the 2022 Mitsubishi Electric Cup, which resulted in a 1-0 victory for Vietnam with Nguyễn Văn Quyết scoring the decisive goal at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium in Hanoi.
Indonesia and Brunei will battle in the first qualifying round this October, with the winner securing a place in Group F alongside the Philippines, Iraq, and Vietnam. The format will see these teams play home and away matches during international breaks from November 2023 until June 2024. The top two teams from the group will advance to the third qualifying round of the World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup.
Meanwhile, the two bottom teams in the group will exit World Cup qualification and enter the third qualifying round of the AFC Asian Cup. During this phase, there will be six groups of four nations, with only the top team from each group qualifying for the tournament hosted by Saudi Arabia.
In the previous qualification tournaments for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the Azkals, under Scott Cooper, finished in third place in Group A with 11 points, secured from three wins, two draws, and three defeats. This was the Philippines’ highest points tally in World Cup qualification.
Despite their efforts, the Azkals, led by Thomas Dooley, were relegated to the third qualifying round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. They finished second in Group B with four points, earning one win, one draw, and one defeat. Unfortunately, they missed out on advancing to the tournament proper as one of the top five second-placed teams in the qualifying phase.
