World Cup or bust for Filipinas

It’s the 2027 FIFA World Cup or bust for the national women’s football team when it competes in the AFC Asian Cup in Perth, Australia from 1 to 21 March.

Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso said they are looking to pull off a shocker and outlast other stronger, more tactically-sound squads when they compete in the Asian Cup — the gateway to the World Cup that will be held in Brazil next year.

“We’re working through the stages towards reaching our goal for Brazil 2027, and our first stop is the Asian Cup in Australia,” said Torcaso, whose wards are currently in Balesin to intensify their buildup for the prestigious continental tournament that dangles six slots to the 32-nation World Cup.

“We have a responsibility to make sure that every single young girl dreams of playing for our country, and success on the national stage helps create that inspiration.”

Torcaso said their mix of World Cup veterans like team captain Hali Long, Olivia and Chandler McDaniel, along with new additions like Alexa Pino, Natalie Oca, Aaliyah Schinaman and Ava Villapando will be crucial in their Asian Cup campaign, in which they are looking to surpass their fourth-place finish in the 2022 edition in India.

“We have players with World Cup experience, and we want to make sure we utilize that, because they can pass on vital lessons to the younger ones who haven’t been there yet. The groundwork has been laid over the last few years, and now it’s about giving the next generation opportunities to learn and grow,” Torcaso said.

“The last two years have been fantastic, and we know that once you go to the World Cup, the expectation is to go again, and we are going to give everything to fulfill our mission.”

But the Asian Cup will not be a cakewalk.

The Filipinas will be greatly tested as they battle Iran, South Korea and host Australia in the preliminaries in Group A. They have very little room for error as only the top two teams per group and the two best third-place teams in the tournament will advance to the quarterfinals.