The Philippine men's national football team is looking at the bigger picture, hoping that its grueling battles against Iraq will make it grow stronger heading into the crucial stretch of its campaign in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

Philippine head coach Tom Saintfiet said they are doing their best to come up with a strong performance as they are building a team not just for the World Cup qualifiers but also for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

The Filipinos are facing the Iraqis at press time at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, looking for a win that will help them recover from their 0-1 loss in their first encounter in Basra.

"Some players are not available for several reasons and some players we are convinced to play. We want to build a team that will be qualifying for the Asian Cup," said Saintfiet, who led Gambia to a quarterfinal finish in the 2021 African Cup of Nations.

"In football, it's about goal-setting. If we lose to Iraq, it does not mean it's bad. We have an aim to develop a team that is ready to qualify. Preferably in June, if we can stay in the top two of the group and remain in the running for the World Cup."

The Filipinos have two routes to the Asian Cup.

The first is getting the top two spots in Group F in the World Cup qualifiers as it guarantees an outright berth to the Asian Cup while also keeping their World Cup hopes alive.

Right now, the Philippines has one point behind a 0-1-2 win-draw-loss record. If the Filipinos win their last two games against Vietnam and Indonesia in June and at least forge a draw against the Iraqis, they will get an outright spot in the prestigious continental meet.

But should they finish at the bottom half of the group, the Philippines will have to play in the third round of the Asian Cup qualifying round in 2025, where only the top team per group will advance to the biggest showpiece of Asian football after a double-round robin.