Filipinas draw Asian powers in 2028 Olympic qualifiers

KUALA LUMPUR: The Filipinas will face North Korea, South Korea, and China in Group B of the Asian qualifiers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, setting up six matches against some of the continent’s strongest women’s football teams.

The World Cup-bound Philippines was drawn with world No. 12 North Korea, No. 17 South Korea, and No. 18 China during Thursday’s draw at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) House in Kuala Lumpur.

The home-and-away competition will give the Filipinas two high-level matches in April 2027 ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, followed by four more qualifiers later in the year.

The winner of each of the two qualifying groups will advance directly to the Olympics, while the runners-up will meet in a home-and-away playoff for the chance to face Argentina in an intercontinental playoff.

The tournament will be played home-and-away.

The Filipinas will open against North Korea on April 19 and face China on April 24, 2027.

They will then play South Korea on Oct. 7 and 12 before meeting North Korea on Nov. 29 and China on Dec. 4.

Philippine Football Federation President John Anthony Gutierrez said the draw offers both a challenge and an opportunity for the national team.

“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.”

Gutierrez said the qualifying schedule would give the Filipinas valuable preparation against top opposition.

“These matches will sharpen our players and make us even stronger on the world stage,” he said.

“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.”

Head coach Mark Torcaso welcomed the chance to measure his players against the three opponents.

“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 particularly eager to face North Korea, which the Filipinas have not played 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 opening two qualifiers will precede the Women’s World Cup, which Brazil will host from June 24 to July 25, 2027.

“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.”

Torcaso said the fixtures would also help him assess which players are ready for high-stakes matches.

“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.”

Before the qualifiers, the Filipinas will continue their preparations with two friendlies against New Zealand in Wellington on Nov. 29 and Dec. 4, 2026. (PFF)