PH Futsal Team Qualifies for Women’s Futsal Asian Cup

THE Philippine teams continue to make waves across all sports, as the country’s women’s national futsal squad has already qualified for the 2025 AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup. 

The country has officially qualified for the event, which will be hosted later this year in China, despite losing 2-1 to Australia in their last game on Sunday at the Yunusobod Sport Complex in Uzbekistan.

The Australians led at the seven-minute mark with a Daisy Arrosmith goal, but the Filipinas drew the game 1-1 with a Halle Smith goal. This provided them a lifeline with less than a minute remaining in the first half. 

However, the opposite team ensured that they would finish the qualifiers undefeated, with Jessica Au scoring immediately after the break to put Australia back ahead, and the lead was maintained until the end of the game.

Remarkable Run

With this loss, the Philippine team finishes with seven points from four games, with two victories, a draw, and a loss. Meanwhile, Australia finished first in the qualifiers with a 4-0 win-loss record and 12 points. 

The national squad secured two wins in Group C of the Asian Cup Qualifiers, defeating Kuwait 4-1 on the first night of the tournament on January 11, 2025, and Turkmenistan 2-0 last Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, the draw came from a late-game Judy Connolly goal against the hosts, Uzbekistan, which allowed them to conclude the incredibly difficult match on a tie, 3-3.

Despite a strong performance, the Philippines was relegated to the third seed after Uzbekistan defeated Turkmenistan 6-2, securing the second slot. 

Having the same win-loss record as the Philippines, the hosts had a plus-7 goal difference to the Filipinas’ plus-4, allowing them to earn the clear second seed. 

The top three teams from Group C all qualified, with the Philippines and Australia enjoying a more memorable experience than the other team, since they will make their AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup debuts.

On the other hand, the country remains the best third-seeded team in the event, having been named ahead of Palestine in Group A, Kyrgyzstan in Group B, and Myanmar in Group D. 

China will host the tournament in May, which will also act as a qualifier for the Philippines’ inaugural 2025 FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, which will be held later in 2025.