Ultimately, it was mission accomplished for the Philippine Girls Under-17 National Team in its bid to return to the continental stage.
The Philippines secured its place in the 2026 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup in dominant fashion, routing Malaysia, 4–0, in the final match of the qualification tournament on Friday at the Pamir Stadium in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
With three straight victories in Group A, a +11 goal difference, and no goals conceded, the Filipinas U17 clinched the top spot in their group to advance to next year’s competition in China.
Luna Rivera opened the scoring just six minutes into the match, slotting the ball in from close range to give the Filipinas an early lead.
In the 23rd minute, Chiara Mizzo doubled the advantage with a well-placed left-footed strike from the edge of the Malaysian box.
The Filipinas kept their momentum in the second half as team captain Aiselyn Sia headed home a corner kick in the 59th minute to make it 3–0.
Malaysia’s struggles deepened in the 68th minute when defender Nur Dania Batrisya accidentally deflected Louraine Evangelista’s cross into her own net, sealing the lopsided result.
This marks the second consecutive qualification for the Philippines in the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup, following their historic debut in the 2024 edition of the tournament.
