After an exciting and thrilling win at the recent SEA Games in December last year, the Filipinas are hungry for more success as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Cup 2026 is scheduled to start in just over 50 days.
The Filipinas will be opening the tournament against the host nation and tournament favourite Australia on 1 March 2026 in Perth, Western Australia. Marc Torcaso, the Head Coach of the Filipinas, has called on Philippine supporters in Australia to come and support the team as they look to upset the Australian team affectionately known across the country as the “Matildas”. Torcaso spoke about Philippine fans and how “passionate” they are in supporting their national teams, even quoting the large number of Philippine fans that have attended recent Filipinas matches in Thailand and in South Korea, where he hopes these numbers will be replicated during the tournament.
Torcaso also spoke about national treasure, Sarina Bolden and her impact in the Philippines after being the country’s first-ever goal scorer at a football World Cup. Torcaso noted that “Sarina is a very important person to our country, not just in football, but in women’s sport as a whole”, indicating even when the current Filipinas football squad visited the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Pasig, Manila, that the only person the crowd wanted to see was “Sarina Bolden and to shake hands with her”.
Torcaso gave an update on Sarina Bolden’s injury progress and the possibility of her participating in the Asian Cup, saying, “that they’re going to give her every single chance to be part of it”. This is exciting news for Filipinas’ fans around the world who hope to see their Football World Cup hero back in action.
For Filipinas’ fans living in Perth, Western Australia, Torcaso said that the team will be arriving around 23 February 2026, which will give fans an opportunity to meet the team and watch them train. More details about times and locations will be communicated in the coming weeks.
The Filipinas will be playing their remaining two matches on the Gold Coast, Queensland, against South Korea on 5 March 2026 and Iran on 8 March 2026. Torcaso also stated that both of these matches will be tough; however, he knows he has a talented and motivated Filipinas squad ready for the challenge ahead.
