Filipinas claim second straight FIFA World Cup ticket

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

They delivered, as they promised.

After falling short of the golden trophy during the 2023 edition, the Philippine Women’s National Football Team (PWNFT) is back on the grandest stage of international football after punching a second consecutive ticket to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

On March 19, 2026, the Filipinas achieved the feat by blanking Uzbekistan, 2-0, during their AFC Women’s Asian Cup FIFA eliminator at Gold Coast Stadium in Australia.

The PWNFT vented its ire after suffering a 0-7 loss to Japan in its last outing and only needed a win against Uzbekistan to qualify for the World Cup.

Eager to claim the final trip ticket to Brazil, the Filipinas kicked off the match with a high-octane approach, with Angela Beard getting early attempts but being denied twice.

Uzbekistan managed to keep the game in a deadlock until the first-half buzzer sounded, but Beard had seen enough and quickly made up for her two misses just two minutes into the second half.

All thanks to a sweet delivery from Jael Marie Guy, who fired an on-point long cross that landed perfectly for a Beard volley to help the Filipinas draw first blood, 1-0.

The PWNFT then needed only five more minutes to double its lead, courtesy of a powerful header from Jaclyn Sawicki off a precise pass from Guy.

With the commanding 2-0 lead, the Uzbeks looked deflated, failing to recover and restore order despite an additional four-minute window being added.

The Filipinas joined Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and host nation Brazil as the first batch of qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“Thank you so much for the support,” said PWNFT defender Jessika Cowart in an interview with SBS Filipino.

“Your voices are loud and clear every game, not just this past game but especially in a game where we’re really up against it. We really felt the support, so thank you so much for that.”