Veteran goalkeeper Neith Etheridge leads a 25-man pool that will test the mettle of Bahrain in a friendly match that serves as a preparation for the Philippine Azkals’ two games in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification starting 16 November.
A member of the Birmingham FC, Etheridge, 33, will be joined by SpVgg Greuther Fürth II midfielder Sandro Reyes and Atletico de Madrid under-19 right-back Santi Rublico.
This friendly match is part of the Azkals’ training camp in Bahrain in anticipation of their matches against Vietnam on 16 November at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex before facing the first-round winner between Brunei and Indonesia on 21 November with the venue yet to be finalized.
The Philippines is in Group F with Vietnam, Iraq and the winner between Brunei and Indonesia with the top two teams advancing to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers.
Getting into the top half of the group will also give the Azkals a direct berth for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
For Etheridge, he expects the team to express the same fight shown in the team’s 2-1 win over Afghanistan last 12 September.
“I felt like in the past five years, we didn’t have a winning mentality. It’s like accepted mediocrity and the coach allowed me to bring a mentality to this team that was win at all cost,” Etheridge said.
“I’ve been fortunate to be part of the team many years ago which isn’t as technically good as this team but they had a mentality to win. Why I got so emotional after the game was because it was probably the first time in a long time seeing that fight in an Azkals team.”
Ivan Suing
