Petaling Jaya, Malaysia – The SIBOL Honor of Kings national team moved within a victory of securing a berth in the 2026 Asian Games after delivering another dominant 2-0 sweep, this time against Mongolia in the group stage of the Asian Games Qualifiers at the Petaling Jaya Marriott Hotel.
Fresh off an opening-day rout of Pakistan, the Filipinos once again showcased their class to improve to 2-0 in Group A, remaining tied with Indonesia at the top of the standings.
Both teams have yet to drop a game, having secured their victories through back-to-back sweeps.
The result places SIBOL in prime position heading into the final stretch of the group stage. A victory there would officially secure their place in the main event of the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
“This second win is good for us. If we win our next match, we will surely get our spot in the main event of the Asian Games in Nagoya,” said head coach Gerald Gelacio.
Despite the strong start, Gelacio emphasized that the team remains focused on the task at hand and is not looking beyond its next opponent.
“Focused pa rin ngayon ang team kasi di pa naman totally tapos ang qualifiers. About sa gameplay naman natin, nalalaro naman natin onstage yung mga pinapractice namin sa scrims.”
SIBOL wasted little time asserting its dominance in the opening game. They raced to a commanding 7-0 lead in the kill tally as early as the fifth minute behind toplaner Chammy Paul Nazarrea’s five kills.
Jungler Justine Ritchie Valencia Tan then delivered a triple strike in the sixth minute, helping SIBOL score an Ace, before Mongolia managed to find a brief lifeline with two unanswered kills shortly after.
The Filipinos quickly shrugged off the setback and regrouped for a decisive push on the top lane midway through the seventh minute, with Mongolia unable to mount a defense, to secure the opening game victory in less than eight minutes.
With momentum on their side, midlaner Dragon Hart Dajao continued the aggression in Game 2 as he easily scored a double strike midway through the second minute to help the Filipinos grab a 3,000 economy lead.
Dajao then exploded for a triple strike during a fifth-minute skirmish to force a 4-for-1 trade as the Philippines erected a dominating 10,000 economy lead.
SIBOL did not leave any stones unturned and kept the pressure, culminating in a six-minute close-out victory.
With qualification now within reach, the Filipinos will look to maintain their unbeaten run and punch their ticket to Nagoya when they return to action on June 17, Wednesday, against third-running Uzbekistan.
