The Filipinas U17 team kept at pace with Malaysia for a spot in the final tournament of the 2026 AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup.
The Philippines moved one win away from a spot in the final tournament for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup after taking a 2-nil victory over host country Tajikistan at the Pamir Stadium in Dushanbe on Wednesday.
Louraine Evangelista scored her second goal in just as many games when the Filipinas went ahead of the home team with an 11-minute goal, 1-nil.
Julianna Dagpin added the insurance goal in added time, making it a clear victory.
The Philippines owns the top spot in the standings with two wins and a plus-seven goal difference, steering them clear of second placers Malaysia with one game day remaining on their schedules — against each other.
Malaysia (six points, +3 goal difference) will be the Filipinas U17’s last opponent in the qualifiers with their match set to determine who gets through.
The Malaysians are coming off of a 1-nil victory over Syria also on Wednesday.
The Philippines and Malaysia battle for the lone spot in Group A for the final tournament on Friday, October 17, still at Pamir Stadium.
The 2026 AFC U17 Women’s Asia Cup will happen in China next year from April 30 to May 17.
Qualified teams to the tournament include China, North Korea, Japan, and South Korea. All teams except China have been champions of the tournament.
North Korea are the reigning champions.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.