Game today:
3 p.m. — Philippines vs Kyrgyzstan
The Philippine national men’s football team faces Kyrgyzstan in a friendly match at the Sheikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium in Bahrain on Sunday.
Kickoff is at 3 p.m. (Manila time) as this is one of the two friendly matches of the Azkals’ training camp in preparation for the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November.
The second game of their friendly match will be against the Bahrainians on 18 October at 12 a.m.
In the last match in which the Azkals and Kyrgyzstan battled, the Philippines lost 1-3 in the group stage of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
With the Azkals, No. 132 in the International Football Federation rankings, facing Vietnam on 16 November before going up against the winner Brunei-Indonesia tussle on 21 November, German strategist Hans Michael Weiss said it is imperative to find players who will be available for the windows to develop.
The Philippines’ 25-man pool will be led by veteran goalkeeper Niel Etheridge, midfielder Sandro Reyes and Atletico de Madrid under-19 right-back Santi Rublico.
