KUALA LUMPUR – The Philippine Women’s National Team will face three of Asia’s strongest sides in their bid for a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after being drawn into Group B of the AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) during the Official Draw on Thursday at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur.
The Filipinas were grouped with world number 12 Korea DPR, world number 17 Korea Republic, and world number 18 China in the draw. The campaign begins in April 2027, with the Filipinas already World Cup-bound.
The tournament will be played home-and-away.
The Filipinas’ OQT Schedule:
- April 19, 2027: Philippines v Korea DPR
- April 24, 2027: Philippines v China
- October 7, 2027: Philippines v Korea Republic
- October 12, 2027: Philippines v Korea Republic
- November 29, 2027: Philippines v Korea DPR
- December 4, 2027: Philippines v China
PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez said the draw presents both a challenge and an opportunity for Philippine football.
“This is a demanding group, but it is exactly the kind of test a World Cup-bound team should want,” Gutierrez said. “Our Filipinas have earned their place among Asia’s best, and we are ready to compete against the best. Our goal is clear: to bring Philippine women’s football to the Olympic stage, and to bring the best teams in Asia to play in the Philippines.”
The schedule has the Filipinas playing two of their OQT matches in April 2027, shortly before the World Cup, followed by four more in the second half of the year. Gutierrez said this gives the team a rare chance to prepare against top-level opposition.
“These matches will sharpen our players and make us even stronger on the world stage,” he added. “We are grateful to our fans, who have supported the Filipinas every step of the way. We look forward to seeing them fill our stadiums as we pursue this dream together, para sa bayan.”
Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso said he was thrilled with the draw.
“We’re obviously really excited by the draw. This is a really good group for us because we can really test our players against three of the strongest teams in Asia,” Torcaso said.
Torcaso said he was especially eager to face Korea DPR, a team the Filipinas have not met during his tenure.
“We’ve never played DPR Korea ever since I’ve been here, and I was really looking forward to having the opportunity to play against them because they’re one of the top teams in Asia and in the world,” he said.
The coach also pointed to the timing of the first two fixtures, which fall just before the World Cup.
“Those two games just before the World Cup will potentially be against DPR Korea and China, and they’re really two good preparation games for us for the World Cup, as well as us trying to get ourselves an opportunity to the LA Olympics,” Torcaso said. “So it doubles up. It gives us two opportunities.”
He added that the matches will let him see which players are ready for big moments.
“It gives us a chance to expose a lot of our players to see if they’re going to be ready for big moments against big teams,” he said. “And this new home-and-away format also brings the opportunity for our fans to see our team at home against some of the best teams in the world and in Asia.”
“Really looking forward to this,” Torcaso said. “It gives our players the best opportunity to prepare for the World Cup, but also for their futures as players of our national team.”
The Filipinas now turn their attention to preparations for the OQT and the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, as they will engage in a two-game friendly against New Zealand in Wellington on November 29 and December 4, 2026.
