Guide: Philippine Men's National Football Team hosts Maldives in road to AFC Asian Cup

The Philippine Men's National Football Team (PMNFT) embarks on its journey to the AFC Asian Cup 2027 with a crucial opening qualifier against Maldives on March 25, 7 p.m., at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium.

With only the group winner advancing to the continental tournament, every match in this round is a must-win for the PMNFT as they aim for their second-ever AFC Asian Cup appearance after their historic debut in 2019.

Match Details

📅 Date: Monday, March 25

📍 Venue: New Clark City Athletics Stadium

👟 Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.

🎟 Tickets (Excluding online fees) | Ticketmax.ph

• VIP: P750

• Lower Grandstand: P450

• Upper Grandstand: FREE 🆓

How to get FREE Upper Grandstand tickets:

• Fill up this Google Form

• OR scan the QR code

Free bus rides from Pasig to New Clark City

🚍 Round-trip shuttle from Bridgetowne, Pasig to New Clark City

Guidelines:

• Limited bus tickets available for match ticket holders
• Round-trip rides only (Bridgetowne > New Clark City > Bridgetowne)
• Purchase bus tickets at pff.ticketmax.ph (Enter ticket ID in the code box)
• One bus ticket per match ticket holder
• No ticket, no seat policy
• No standing allowed on the bus

📍 Schedule:

🕐 Call Time: 1:00 p.m.

🕑 Departure: 2:00 p.m.

🕥 Return trip: 10:30 p.m.

Where to watch

📺 LIVE Broadcast

🕖 7:00 p.m. - One Sports+ | Pilipinas Live

🕢 Next-day replay (March 26, 7:30 p.m.) - One Sports

📡 TV Channels & Streaming

• Free-to-air: One Sports (Cignal Ch. 6)
• Cable: One Sports+ (Cignal Ch. 261 HD & Ch. 91 SD)
• Streaming: Pilipinas Live (Mobile App & pilipinaslive.com on desktop)

Squad list for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers

🧤 Goalkeepers

• Kevin Ray Mendoza
• Quincy Kammeraad
• Julian Schwarzer

🎯 Midfielders

• Michael Baldisimo
• Zico Bailey
• Manny Ott
• Sandro Reyes
• Christian Rontini
• Randy Schneider

🛡 Defenders

• Amani Aguinaldo
• Josef Baccay
• Jesse Curran
• Michael Kempter
• Jesper Nyholm
• Jefferson Tabinas
• Paul Tabinas
• Adrian Ugelvik
• Scott Woods
• Joshua Meriño

?? Forwards

• Jarvey Gayoso
• Bjorn Martin Kristensen
• Alex Monis
• Santiago Rublico

Coaching staff updates

The PMNFT welcomes new assistant coach Carles Cuadrat and analyst Javier Robles to help lead the squad through this crucial qualifying campaign.

How the Philippines got here

The road to the AFC Asian Cup 2027 has been a challenging one for the Philippines.

📉 In the second round of 2026 FIFA World Cup–AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers, the Philippines finished last in Group F, failing to advance in World Cup contention after:

• Two losses to Iraq (0-1 | 0-5)

• Two losses to Vietnam (0-2 | 2-3)

• One loss (0-2) and a 1-1 draw against Indonesia

🌏 Despite missing out on the World Cup, the PMNFT still have a shot at the Asian Cup, now competing in Group A of the third-round qualifiers alongside:

• Tajikistan (No. 104)
• Maldives (No. 162)
• Timor-Leste (No. 197)

Third-round match schedule

🏟 March 25, 2024 - vs Maldives (Home)

🏟 June 10, 2024 - vs Tajikistan (Away)

🏟 October 9, 2024 - vs Timor-Leste (Home)

🏟 October 14, 2024 - vs Timor-Leste (Away)

🏟 November 18, 2024 - vs Maldives (Away)

🏟 March 31, 2025 - vs Tajikistan (Home)

🎯 Only the winner of Group A will qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2027.

The quest for a second Asian Cup appearance

The Philippines made history in UAE 2019, qualifying for their first-ever AFC Asian Cup.

However, their debut ended in the group stage after:

• 0-1 loss to South Korea

• 0-3 loss to China

• 1-3 loss to Kyrgyzstan

Now, the Filipinos look to make their way back to the continental stage, and it all starts with a strong performance against Maldives.