Philippines slotted into Group A of the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup, set to open competition

The Filipinas with their fans during AFC Qualifying earlier this year

The Philippines' pathway towards the goal of making a return trip to the FIFA Women's World Cup was made clear on Tuesday with the results of the draw for the 2026 edition of the AFC Women's Asian Cup.

Held in Sydney, the ladies were drawn into Group A, alongside Australia, Korea Republic, and Iran, and having been slotted into A4, they were automatically designated as the team that will face the hosts to open the competition on March 1, at Perth.

After facing the 15th-ranked Matildas, they will head to the Gold Coast for their remaining Group Stage matches: with the Koreans on the 5th and concluding the first phase against the Persians on the 8th.

DPR Korea, China PR, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan comprise Group B, while Japan, Vietnam, India, and Chinese-Taipei complete the twelve-team field with Group C.

Only the four semifinalists will earn automatic spots at the FIFA Women's World Cup, which Brazil hosts in 2027. Two more teams will earn the right for an opportunity to play for a spot through the Playoff Tournament that takes place later in 2026.

Philippine Football Federation president John Gutierrez says when asked about his thoughts on the draw results, "Not the easiest group but not the hardest. Either way, we have to beat the best to be the best. Our girls will be ready come March."

Representing the team in the draw is Mark Torcaso, and he expressed his anticipation for the start of the tournament. The gaffer shares, "Really excited by it, and I know that our players will be up for the challenge. Every team here that has qualified obviously deserves to be here and they’re all going to be difficult opponents. It didn’t really matter who we were going to play, every game is going to be tough, and every game wehave to be extremely determined and focused to get an outcome."

He also adds, "We’re really excited by this opportunity, playing against the host in front of a big crowd in the first game, along with South Korea and Iran in the group." With the memory of managing to qualify in the FIFA Women's World Cup back in 2023 still fresh, the team remains optimistic of their hopes of earning their spot again in 2027.

Torcaso emphasizes such belief, as he says, "We are going to do our absolute best to bring World Cup opportunities back to our players and back to our country. We’ll be extremely determined and excited by making sure that we make this happen and we’ll do everything possible over the next few windows to make sure that we’re as prepared as possible."

With a schedule that includes two major sub-continental competitions in the remainder of the year, comprising the AFF MSIG Serenity Cup next week and the SEA Games this December, Torcaso notes that these tourneys will help the team prepare for this coming March. He shares, "This coming AFF tournament is a chance for us to see a lot of our young youth players play obviously with a closed FIFA window, we will give a lot of opportunity to our young players and see where they’re at in the level that they’re going to be hopefully to be ready for opportunities that come their way for the Asian Cup."