The Philippine men’s under-23 national football team has made history, completing the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers with its first-ever winning record. The team secured six points and a positive goal difference for the first time in the tournament, finishing second in its qualifying group.
The historic run was capped off with an impressive 4-0 victory against Nepal in Dushanbe. The win matched the most lopsided victory by a Philippine team against Nepal, a record previously set by the senior men’s national team in 2011.
The team’s journey was marked by a series of strong performances. In their opening match, the Philippines put up a fierce fight, narrowly losing 2-1 to Syria. They then secured a crucial 1-0 victory against the home team, Tajikistan, with a goal from Noah Leddel. In the final match against Nepal, goals came from Otu Banatao, Javier Mariona, Dov Cariño, and team captain Sandro Reyes, who finished the qualifiers with two goals and two assists.
“We had an overall good tournament,” said Reyes. “I think this is our best tournament so far at this level.”
Building on the momentum from their first-ever semifinals appearance in the ASEAN Championship, the U23 team will now prepare for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December. The PFF sees this performance as a vital step in their long-term strategy. “We want to make the Philippines a strong football country in Asia, and not just a bonus game for strong teams,” Gutierrez added. “Building world-class youth teams is a key to achieving this, and we want our national teams across age groups and genders to excel and win internationally.”
