The national men’s football team is moving on from the missed opportunity of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup as it shifts its focus on the ASEAN Hyundai Cup starting on 24 July.
National coach Carles Cuadrat said they will take the lessons they learned from their Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign and continue building for their next matches.
The Philippines settled for a 1-1 draw against the Tajiks at the Hisor Stadium last March and missed out on the biggest Asian football tourney.
“They have been a very tough opponent but the reality is we drew both matches against them, and in both games, we created more chances. If you look at the statistics, we had the opportunities to win,” Cuadrat said.
“In football, sometimes it comes down to one goal, and unfortunately for us, that made the difference. We had a very clear opportunity at the end inside the box, no block but it didn’t go in. We have to accept it.”
Cuadrat, who took over from fellow Spanish mentor Albert Capellas in 2025, said the Hyundai Cup is the perfect opportunity for them to continue their momentum as the next tourney will be in a few months.
“It is clear that Philippine football is improving. We fought until the end for qualification, and that is something we must build on,” Cuadrat said.
“We are going to prepare for the Hyundai Cup in July. The plan is to keep working and ensure we are ready to compete strongly again in Southeast Asia and aim for the highest stages of the competition.”
Hopes are high for the Nationals for the Hyundai Cup.
The 2024 edition saw the Philippines make it as far as the semifinal and even defeated Thailand in the first leg before losing 3-4 on aggregate.
From that campaign, Filipino-German wingers Gerrit Holtmann and Raphael Obermair have been added to spruce up the offense that already boasts forwards Bjorn Kristensen, Alex Monis and Sebastian Rasmussen.
The Philippines has yet to reach the final of the Hyundai Cup since the competition started in 1996 in Singapore.