They also added a new, young weapon to the lineup.
The Philippine Women’s National Football Team will begin its bid to play in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games tomorrow as they face Pakistan at the Hisor Central Stadium in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. It’s going to be the Filipinas’ first match in round one of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Now ranked 49th in the world by FIFA, the Philippine squad appears to be the best unit in Group E, which also features host squad Tajikistan and Hong Kong.
Filipinas will face the pressure of being the heavy favorites on Wednesday as they take on world number 161 Pakistan. That said, these group of Filipino footballers have always been up to task as seen in the past year. They’ve made it past the first round of the Tokyo Olympics qualifiers five years ago, which makes them experienced enough to avoid complacency, especially in the same setting.
On Saturday, April 8, coach Alen Stajcic’s wards will once again be the favorites as they face 144th-ranked Tajikistan. The Filipina footballers have beaten the hosts a couple of times before, which includes a 3-1 victory in the 2018 qualifiers for the 2020 Olympiad. Continuing their mastery of the Tajikistanis will solidify their shot at making it to the second round once again.
For their last match, slated on April 11, Filipinas will go up against their last opponent in the group, world number 79 Hong Kong.
To ultimately advance to the next round of the Olympic Qualifiers, they must emerge as the top team in Pool E.
Team Philippines is fielding a 22-player roster that includes the country’s biggest guns in women’s football led by the likes of Sarina Bolden, Tahnai Annis, and Katrina Guillou. As Stajcic finalized the lineup, he enlisted youngster Bella Pasion who scored a spectacular goal for the Philippines while playing against Hong Kong in the AFC Women’s Under-20 Qualifiers last month.
The 16-year-old midfielder is joining the senior squad for the first time. But the man at the helm is convinced that Pasion is ready.
“Bella has earned her spot based on merit just like every player on this team,” said Stajcic.
“She’s put her hand up during the last youth camp and matches with the Under-20s and has shown that she can compete at this level. She’s done really well in the last few days of training.”