The second round begins next month.
Football never stops for the Filipinas. Almost literally. The Philippine women's national football team will compete in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China starting tomorrow. But the squad's calendar this year won't end there.
The Filipinas will face Australia on October 29 in Perth in the second round of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The Philippines and Australia are also set to face Chinese Taipei and Iran in Group A.
Originally, the Filipinas' match against the Matildas was going to be held at Perth Rectangular Stadium. But according to a report of Australia Broadcasting Corporation, the game will now be moved to nearby Optus Stadium to accommodate more fans.
"Football Australia said due to 'soaring demand' for tickets, the Philippines game will be moved to the nearby AFL [Australian Football Field] ground in the city, which holds 60,000 fans," wrote the report.
Perth Rectangular Stadium, in comparison, can only hold 20,000 fans. The Matildas' matches against Iran and Chinese Taipei, however, will still be held there.
The venue change should bode well for the Filipinas, as they will get to play anew in front of a wider audience, which could lead to more exposure to different international clubs. Their historic stint in the FIFA Women's World Cup opened opportunities for many of the players, including Angela Beard, sisters Olivia and Chandler McDaniel, Quinley Quezada, and Jessika Cowart, who have all signed with new clubs abroad.
The Filipinas swept their matches in the first round after winning against Pakistan (4-0), Tajikistan (8-0), and Hong Kong (4-0). Australia, meanwhile, was given a bye to the second round as one of the five teams in the region with the highest FIFA rankings, along with North Korea, Japan, China, and South Korea.
The Filipinas, who climbed to no. 44, will face Chinese Taipei on October 26 and Iran on November 1. They need to finish in the top two of Group A to advance to the third round. Only the two finalists will earn tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The no. 11 Matildas, led by Sam Kerr, will look to ride the momentum of their historic fourth-place finish in the FIFA Women's World Cup.