THE Filipinas will have to go through Australia and South Korea in their bid to return to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027.
The Philippines was drawn with the two powerhouse nations along with Iran in Group A of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup to be played in Australia following the draw ceremony held in Sydney.
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Incidentally, the Filipinas will also be playing in the opening match of the tournament against hosts' Matildas on March 1 at the Perth Stadium.
The draw put the Philippines in a bracket with two of the best teams in the Asian Football Confederation zone in world No. 15 Australia and No. 21 Korea.
Korea was the runner-up in the tournament after beating the Philippines in the semifinals in 2022.
Another tough bracket is Group B which comprises of defending champion and world No. 17 China, world No. 9 North Korea, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan.
Group C has world No. 7 Japan along with Vietnam, India, and Chinese Taipei.
The three group winners, the second placers, and the two best third-placed teams will advance to the quarterfinals. From there, six seats in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup to be played in Brazil will also be at stake aside from the Asian title.
The Philippines, whose head coach Mark Torcaso attended the draw ceremony, will look for a repeat of 2022 when they booked a ticket to the FIFA Women’s World Cup by overcoming Chinese Taipei on penalties during their quarterfinal.
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