The Filipinas will meet some familiar foes.
A few months back, the Filipinas scored against FIFA Women's World Cup co-host New Zealand in a history-making feat. In just over two weeks' time, the Filipinas will get to meet the other co-host of that quadrennial showpiece: Australia.
Fun times.
The Philippine women's national football team will be flying to Perth to take on Chinese Taipei, Australia, and Iran in the second round of the AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament from October 26 to November 1.
Here's what to expect.
How did the Philippines get here?
The Filipinas are ranked 44th in the FIFA women's rankings, and are sixth in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). They reached the second round after sweeping Pakistan (4-0), Tajikistan (8-0), and Hong Kong (4-0) in Group E.
Chinese Taipei vs Philippines (October 26, 4:00 p.m. PHT)
It goes without saying that the players of Chinese Taipei have an axe to grind against the Filipinas.
Remember when the Philippines secured its FIFA Women's World Cup maiden appearance? That tense penalty shootout in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup quarterfinals that went on, 4-3? Yeah, it was against Chinese Taipei.
This squad is ranked slightly higher than the Philippines at the 38th spot and, like the Philippines, Chinese Taipei made short work of its opponents in the first round of the Olympic qualifiers, going 5-1 versus Lebanon and 4-0 against Indonesia.
Expect midfielders Wang Shiang-Huei and Hsu Yi-yun, along with defender Zhuo Li-ping to play a critical role for Chinese Taipei should they be called up for the country once again.
Philippines vs Australia (October 29, 3:00 p.m. PHT)
Demand was so big for this match that organizers had to switch venues from the 20,000-capacity Perth Rectangular Stadium to the larger 60,000-capacity Optus Stadium. That's the pressure the Filipinas will have to face from the Matildas.
Australia is ranked 11th in the world and second in the AFC only to Japan. So, the Matildas get the bye to the second round. The Filipinas did get experience against them though, absorbing a 4-0 loss in the 2022 Women's Asian Cup group stage with goals from Samantha Kerr, Dominique Randle, Emily van Egmond, and Mary Fowler.
This will be the biggest challenge for the Philippines, as the Matildas won both the 2016 and the 2020 Olympic qualifying tournaments.
Philippines vs Iran (November 1, 4:00 p.m. PHT)
Iran got a relatively easy path in the first round of the Olympic qualifiers after Bangladesh and Maldives withdrew. That left them with two matches against Myanmar, with a 1-0 win and a 1-1 draw. Iran is 63rd in the world and 12th in the AFC.
The race will be tighter and tighter for the Philippines in this round. The three group winners will proceed to the third round, along with the best-placed runner-up. And that means there will not be much room for error.
The Filipinas started their breakthrough run against Chinese Taipei, reaching the semifinals of the 2022 Women's Asian Cup for the first time. They won their first-ever AFF Women's Championship. They secured bronze in women's football during the SEA Games for the first time in 37 years. They debuted in the FIFA Women's World Cup, made a goal, and won a match. The Philippines reached the football knockout stage of the Asian Games after 65 years.
Will the Olympic qualifers become the Filipinas' next milestone?
(
MDB)