THE Philippine men’s football team ushers in its FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 campaign against Vietnam on Saturday in Bandung, Indonesia.
FIFA established the ASEAN Cup last year as a tournament between Southeast Asian nations and guest teams being held during the September-October international window.
The Philippines is part of the competition and its opening game will be against Vietnam, the recent champion of the long-standing Southeast Asian competition – the ASEAN Hyundai Cup last August.
PMNT is hard-pressed for the match-up against Vietnam as it brought the big guns including naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son and Nguyen Dinh Bac, the top scorers of the aforementioned ASEAN Hyundai Cup.
Le Giang Patrik, the best goalkeeper of the Hyundai Cup, is also in the roster.
The match between the Philippines and Vietnam is set at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium at 7:30 p.m. local time (8:30 p.m. Philippine time).
Unlike in the Hyundai Cup where it missed the semifinals, the Philippines will have some of its best players with the ASEAN Cup being part of the international window including top striker Bjorn Kristensen.
Also available for the ASEAN Cup are Amani Aguinaldo, Jesper Nyholm, Zico Bailey, and Kevin Mendoza.
Gerrit Holtmann is not available due to the recent birth of his baby, along with Michael Kempter for similar reasons.
Sandro Reyes, Scott Woods, and Christian Rontini have joined the squad after being part of the Philippine team in the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with Woods and Rontini serving as the two overaged players from the U23 squad.
“Six months after our last official FIFA match, we are finally able to reunite the core players of our national team,” Philippines coach Carles Cuadrat said.
“This inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup represents a new benchmark for football in our region, and it’s a privilege for the Philippines to be part of its first chapter,” Philippine Football Federation president John Gutierrez said.
“With this tournament falling within an official FIFA window, our fans will get to see our strongest possible squad take the pitch, and that’s an exciting moment for the entire program.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
