Filipinas coach Mark Torcaso hopes to lead the Philippines to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup via the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso will hope to ride the momentum of their SEA Games 2025 gold medal as they vie for slot in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup slated in Perth, Australia next month.
Torcaso, who was not in the picture yet when the Filipinas made history in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, now takes on the tall task of getting the Philippines back to the pinnacle of football.
The Aussie coach named his 26-woman squad earlier this week as the Filipinas get set for this crucial stretch.
[RELATED: Filipinas name final squad for 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup]
Faced with a tough opening assignment against host Australia, Torcaso is confident they can turn the tables this time even as the Filipinas lost in lopsided fashion to the Matildas in 2023 during the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
“Yeah, I think from my perspective there's a lot of learnings since we played Australia last time. I think it was only our second, third game in charge after a very small Asian Games campaign,” Torcaso said.
“So it was very overwhelming in that first tournament that we had but I think in the two and a half years that now we've been in the role, not only me but the staff, I think we've learned so much about this team, about the country, about the people that we're ready to take on anyone and we'll do our absolute best.”
Bigger picture
But the challenge doesn’t end against Australia, as the Filipinas will need to get into the semifinals of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to seal their place in the World Cup.
Grouped with South Korea and Iran, the Filipinas target a top two finish in the preliminaries for an outright berth to the knockout rounds.
Though the road to the World Cup is harder the second time around, Torcaso believes he has a good mix of talent for his roster.
“Our goal is to get out of the group and our goal is to try and achieve another World Cup position. We know it's going to be challenging. We do have a lot of young players currently in our team. The future for me is really bright for this country, in particular over the next five to 10 years,” said Torcaso.
“There's a lot of good young players coming through and we'll definitely see them feature in this Asian Cup. I believe that we've got a talented group mixed with experience, mixed with young players like the SEA Games and I truly believe that we've got an opportunity to go to another World Cup.”
Players like skipper Hali Long, goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel, Angie Beard, Malea Cesar, Jessika Cowart, Sofia Wunsch, Sara Eggesvik, Jaclyn Sawicki, Carleigh Frilles, Katrina Guillou, and Chandler McDaniel all have experience from the previous World Cup.
Same, but different
Even as experience plays a key role, Torcaso knows that they can’t treat their 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaign as a blueprint for the 2026 edition.
But at the end of the day, Torcaso is adamant that his players will do whatever it takes to take their place among women’s football’s best.
“It will be tough. We've got Australia in our group, we've got South Korea obviously in our group and we know Iran is not an easy team to beat either. So the route to this World Cup is obviously a little bit different to what it was the last time we went to the World Cup,” said Torcaso.
“It's going to be tougher but we're going to give ourselves absolutely every chance to get to the World Cup again for every one of you and all our fans around the Philippines and around the world.”
The Filipinas face off against Australia on March 1 at Perth Stadium, then play against South Korea on March 5.
The Philippines then wrap up group stage against Iran at Gold Coast Stadium on March 8.
During the last Women’s Asian Cup, the Filipinas lost to South Korea in the semifinals, 0-2.
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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.