The Philippines finds itself bunched with Hong Kong, Vietnam and Iran in Group B of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Futsal Asian Cup in China from 7 and 18 May.

The draw was held at the Juva Grand Hotel in Hohhot, China with the Nationals bracing for a tougher challenge after a successful campaign in the qualifiers last January in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

In the Uzbek capital, the Filipinas-backed Nationals gained an outright berth in the Women’s Futsal Asian Cup after becoming the best third-place squad in the qualifiers with a 1-1-1 win-draw-loss.

With only the top two teams per group and the two best third-place teams advancing to the quarterfinal, the Philippines is up against some serious competition.

The Iranians are the strongest team in Group B, ranked ninth in the latest International Football Association (FIFA) rankings.

Iran also won back-to-back Women’s Futsal Asian Cup titles in 2015 and 2018 at the expense of Japan.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese are also formidable as they are rated No. 11 in the FIFA rankings.

The Philippines looks to exact revenge on Vietnam after absorbing a 1-6 defeat in the ASEAN Women’s Futsal Championship last November in Pasig City.

Hong Kong is ranked No. 31 in the FIFA rankings, making this a challenge for the Philippines, which is at No. 59.

The semifinalists of the Women’s Futsal Asian Cup will earn slots to the first-ever FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup which will run from 21 November to 7 December in the Philippines.

While the Nationals are already secured for a World Cup slot as hosts, they will use the Women’s Futsal Asian Cup to gauge the team’s readiness against the elite squads.