No fluke energy: PMNFT targets deeper ASEAN run

The Philippine men’s national football team is aiming for a deeper run in the 2026 ASEAN Championship Hyundai Cup, building on the momentum of its breakthrough campaign in the 2024 edition.

The tournament, officially known as the ASEAN Championship Hyundai Cup, will be held in July–August 2026 and features Southeast Asia’s top national teams competing in a regional showdown.

The Philippines has been drawn into Group B, where it will again face regional powerhouse Thailand alongside Malaysia, Myanmar and Laos.

Under the group stage schedule, the Philippines will play Myanmar on July 28, Laos on Aug. 1, Thailand on Aug. 4 and Malaysia on Aug. 8.

PMNFT enters the tournament with confidence following a historic 2024 campaign highlighted by a landmark semifinal home-leg victory against Thailand at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

On Dec. 27, 2024, the Philippines stunned the seven-time ASEAN champion with a last-minute goal from center back Kike Linares, marking the country’s first-ever win in an ASEAN Championship semifinal and its first victory over Thailand since 1972.

The Filipinos eventually bowed out after a dramatic aggregate loss, 3–4, in extra time in Bangkok three days later, with Suphanat Mueanta scoring the decisive goal in the 116th minute.

“Hyundai Cup 2026 will be a great opportunity to continue showing the progression that Philippine football is making in recent times,” said PMNFT head coach Carles Cuadrat, who witnessed the official draw.

“Although we all know how difficult it will be to achieve one of the first two places, we are also aware that we are a very competitive team that we can be fighting for classification until the last game as happened in the last edition 2024, where after three draws the team managed to beat Indonesia away and move on to the next phase,” he added.

The road to the semifinals in 2024 was anything but smooth, as the Philippines settled for 1–1 draws against Myanmar and Vietnam at home, and another 1–1 result against Laos in Vientiane.

PMNFT clinched its semifinal berth with a narrow 1–0 victory over Indonesia in Jakarta in the final group match.

That squad was coached by Albert Capellas, Cuadrat’s long-time coaching partner in Barcelona, Denmark and later with the national team beginning March 2025.

The team was built around a core led by Bjorn Kristensen, Sandro Reyes and Jarvey Gayoso, who remain central figures in the Philippines’ ongoing campaign in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

While Myanmar and Laos are familiar opponents, Malaysia presents a rare matchup for the Philippines in the ASEAN Championship, with their last meeting dating back to the 2007 edition in Bangkok, where PMNFT suffered a 0–4 loss.

The Philippines’ tournament history took a dramatic turn in the 2010 edition in Hanoi, when it stunned then-defending champion Vietnam, 2–0, in what became known as the “Miracle of Hanoi.”

Since that breakthrough, PMNFT has reached the semifinals five times on a non-consecutive basis, with the 2024 edition marking its closest approach to an ASEAN Championship final.

“This team has already shown in the past that we can achieve these challenges, and in the ASEAN Championship Hyundai Cup 2026 we will have together another opportunity to demonstrate our growth as a football nation,” Cuadrat said.

Before turning its focus fully to the ASEAN Championship, the Philippines faces a crucial test in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers with a decisive away match against Tajikistan on March 31 at Pamir Stadium in Dushanbe. (PFF)