The Philippine Football Federation (PFF), in partnership with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), proudly announces the official squad of the Philippine Men’s National Football Team (PMNFT) that will vie for a return to the AFC Asian Cup in their final qualification match versus Tajikistan on March 31.
A win against the 2023 Asian Cup quarterfinalists will send the Philippines to a second Asian Cup finals in January 2027 in Saudi Arabia.
PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez emphasized the importance for the men’s side to enter the Asian Cup.
“For a match of this importance, we are making sure the national team takes the field with its strongest possible lineup. This is a moment we have prepared for, and we intend to meet it head-on. The Federation is fully committed to seeing the Philippines back in the AFC Asian Cup, and we believe this group has what it takes to deliver that result.”
He added:
There is no holding back now. We want to return to the Asian Cup, and everyone in the Federation is aligned in pushing this team to achieve that.
Headlining PMNFT are its core members lead striker Bjorn Kristensen, vice-captain Sandro Reyes, Zico Bailey, Kevin Ray Mendoza, Zico Bailey, Jeper Nyholm, and Jarvey Gayoso, among others; veterans and co-captains Manny Ott and Amani Aguinaldo; returning vets Daisuke Sato and Patrick Deyto; and Bundesliga standouts Gerrit Holtmann and the debuting Raphael Obermair.
PMNFT head coach Carles Cuadrat updated PFF about the latest update in the ongoing training camp.
“After a 5 days training camp in Turkey, we will approach the match against Tajikistan with the intention of securing 3 points and qualifying for the next AFC Cup,” Cuadrat said.
He added:
We have managed to assemble a group of players committed to the country, and although we regret some absences due to injury, such as Baccay and DeMuynck, we also celebrate new additions like Obermair, creating a squad eager to compete and qualify after quite a long time for a major tournament.
The official Philippine men’s national football team roster for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup final qualification game is as follows:
- Aguinaldo, Amani Manuel
- Bailey, Zico Alika Lefroy
- Deyto, Patrick Phillip
- Gayoso, Javier Augustine
- Holtmann, Gerrit Stephan
- Kammeraad, Quincy Julian
- Kekkonen, Oskari Johannes
- Kempter, Michael
- Kristensen, Bjorn Martin
- Leipold, Andre
- Linares, Enrique
- Mariona, Javier Alessandro
- Mendoza, Kevin Ray
- Monis, Alex James
- Nyholm, Jesper Gunnar
- Obermair, Raphael
- Ott, Manuel
- Rasmussen, Jens Sebastian
- Reyes, Sandro Miguel
- Sato, Daisuke
- Schneider, Randy
- Tabinas, Jefferson David
- Tabinas, Paul Bismarck
The match will kick-off at 7 PM (10 PM, Philippine time) at the Hisor Central Stadium near Dushanbe, Tajikistan. PFF encourages Filipinos living in the area to cheer for PMNFT in the stadium.
PFF and the PMNFTthanks PSC, GoTyme Bank, AIA, Studio300, Sip, Sip+, Hydroflask, and Puma for supporting the team.
