It is finals or bust for the national men’s football team as they brace for a tough challenge in the ASEAN Hyundai Cup on 25 July.

Head coach Carles Cuadrat believes the Nationals are capable of competing for the prestigious regional crown after reaching their fifth semifinal appearance.

The Philippines will be in Group B with powerhouse squads Thailand and Malaysia as well as Myanmar and Laos.

“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,” Cuadrat said.

“Hyundai Cup 2026 will be a great opportunity to continue showing the progression that Philippine football is making in recent times.”

The Philippines almost made it to the final in the 2024 edition behind the likes of Sandro Reyes, Bjorn Kristensen, Jarvey Gayoso and Kike Linares.

The first leg saw the Nationals beat the Thais, 2-1, in the first leg at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, ending a 52-year win drought.

But the Filipino booters failed to sustain the momentum in the second leg as they lost 1-3 at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

Cuadrat said that with Holtmann on the roster and Paul Tabinas recently signing with GNK Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, he feels that they have the best chance to push the squad to its first finals appearance since the competition began in 1996.

“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 another opportunity to demonstrate our growth as a football nation,” Cuadrat added.