The Philippine Azkals now know who they will face in the group stage as they look to redeem themselves in the upcoming AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022.
In a draw held this afternoon in Bangkok, the Philippines were drawn in Group A alongside the likes of defending champions Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the winner of the qualification match between Brunei and Timor-Leste.
Back in the 2020 edition of the competition, the Azkals were grouped with Thailand and Timor-Leste.
The Philippines then won against Timor-Leste 7-0 but lost 2-1 to Thailand with prominent striker Teerasil Dangda scoring a brace in that game.
The Azkals last faced Indonesia in the 2018 edition of the tournament, where the former sealed a 0-0 draw at the Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
When it comes to Cambodia, Phil Younghusband, Manny Ott, and Daisuke Sato scored a goal each against the Cambodians in a 3-0 victory at Rizal Memorial during an international friendly back in 2014.
Finally, the last time the Philippines and Brunei faced each other at the senior level was during the qualification phase of the 2008 edition of the competition. Chad Gould scored in what was a 1-1 stalemate between both sides.
The top two teams of each group will advance to the knockouts. The semi-finals and finals will be two-legged affairs.
The Azkals hope to return to the final four stage after finishing in third place in Group A with six points behind a record of two wins and two losses.
This tournament will be played from December 23, 2022, to January 15, 2023. With pandemic restrictions losing around theregion, it will follow a home-and-away format, which was used in the 2018 edition.
