The Philippine men’s national football team (PMNFT) will meet familiar foes as the world number 141 squad was placed in Group B of the 2024 ASEAN Championship Mitsubishi Cup in the tournament draw on Tuesday at Hanoi, Vietnam.
The nationals are seeded third in the group led by current FIFA World Cup Qualifier (WCQ) group mates Vietnam (world number 115) and Indonesia (world number 134).
Seeded fourth in the group is Myanmar (world number 163) and Laos (world number 190).
“Even if they have always been tough opponents in ASEAN, our familiarity with the recent Vietnamese and Indonesian squads is beneficial for our team,” said Philippine Football Federation Director of National Team Freddy Gonzalez.
“Thanks to PFF President John Gutierrez’s dynamic leadership and the acumen of head coach Tom Saintfiet, football director Vince Santos, and technical director Pep Ferre, we are steering a steadier PMNFT ship. Expect a better team in the second FIFA WCQ fixtures against our AFF group mates as these will be our stepping stone for a legit championship run in the ASEAN Championship come November,” Gonzales said.