A daunting challenge awaits the Philippine Women’s National Football Team as it sets its sights on a strong performance at the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia—and a potential berth in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
In the official draw held Tuesday at Sydney Town Hall, the Philippines—represented by head coach Mark Torcaso—was drawn into Group A alongside host nation Australia, South Korea, and Iran. Group stage matches will be played across Perth and Gold Coast.
The Filipinas will open the tournament against world No. 15 Australia on March 1, 2026, at Perth Stadium—a high-profile kickoff match that marks a formidable test for the team. The Matildas have previously dominated the Philippines with 4-0 and 8-0 victories in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the second round of the 2024 AFC Olympic Qualifiers, respectively.
After their tournament opener in Perth, the Philippines will travel to the Gold Coast for their remaining group matches: against South Korea on March 5 and Iran on March 8, both at Gold Coast Stadium.
World No. 21 South Korea has historically proven to be a difficult opponent.
The Taegeuk Ladies defeated the Philippines 2-0 in the semifinals of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and followed that with a 5-1 thrashing at the 19th Asian Games in China.
In 2024, they also swept two international friendlies against the Filipinas in Incheon.
Iran, ranked 68th in the world, offers the most favorable matchup for the Philippines.
(c) AFC
The Filipinas hold a perfect record against the Iranians, winning 6-0 in the 2014 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers and 2-0 in a qualifier for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
To advance to the knockout stages of the 2026 Asian Cup, teams must finish in the top two of their group or rank among the two best third-placers across all groups.
The four semifinalists of the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
However, elimination in the quarterfinals won’t mean the end of the road. The four losing teams will enter a playoff round, with two additional World Cup spots at stake.
The two teams that fall short in the playoff round will still have one last shot at qualification through the inter-confederation play-offs for the final berth to Brazil.
