The Philippine Men’s National Team will play its away match against Bahrain on 13 October 2012 at the Bahrain National Stadium. Kick off is at 6:00pm local time.
This will be the Philippines’ 5th match in their bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM – Asian Qualifiers / AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019TM –Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2, after successfully preventing a loss against Group H’s top-ranked team DPR Korea with a 0-0 draw last 8 October 2015 at the Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang.
The Philippines previously defeated Bahrain 2-1 during their home match on 11 June 2015 at the Philippine Sports Stadium.
Bahrain is currently ranked 4th in the group with 3 points from its only win against Yemen while the Philippines is ranked 3rd with 7 points from its 2 wins against Bahrain (Home Match) and Yemen (Away Match) respectively, and its recent draw against Korea DPR. The match is crucial for either team as it could spell a win that will considerably increase their chances of advancing to the 1st or 2nd rank in the group.
Simone Rota will be joining the squad in Bahrain to complete the 23-man roster.
On 12 November 2015, the Philippines will play its home match against Yemen at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.