Philippines XI top bet in WAC-Q group play

Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Cambodia will stand in the way of the Philippines’ quest for a third consecutive stint in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

The Filipinas found themselves bunched with the three squads during yesterday’s draw for the WAC Qualifiers and loom as the favorite to top Group G and snare the lone ticket to the 2026 Continental meet.

Ranked 41st in the world and coming off a historic campaign in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Pinay booters will battle it out with No. 80 Hong Kong, No. 118 host Cambodia and No. 166 Saudi in the Qualifiers set June 23 to July 5.

If successful in hurdling the group, Marc Torcaso’s side will join seeded powerhouses Australia, defending champion China, 2022 runner-up South Korea and 2022 third placer Japan in the main draw.

All eight group winners in the Qualifiers will make it to next year’s centerpiece event to be played in Australia, where tickets to the 2027 WWC will be up for grabs.

The Filipinas first served notice of their rise to power in the 2018 Asian tilt in Jordan, where they wound up in sixth place, one short of qualification to the 2019 worlds.

Four years later in India, the Pinay booters reached a new high and made it to the semifinals on their way to the 2023 WWC in New Zealand. They made more history at the global stage, upstaging host NZ, 1-0, to join the elite list of squads that have won a game in their maiden appearance.