The Philippine Azkals get ready for an October training camp in Bahrain to rev up for the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November.
Speaking after the team’s 2-1 win over Afghanistan last Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, head coach Hans Michael Weiss said that the team will play a friendly match on 17 October and possibly more matches against football clubs that have yet to be announced.
Weiss also commended his side’s “win-at-all-cost” mentality after Jens Rasmussen and Christan Rontini converted the Azkals’ two goals in the second half for the victory after last Friday’s 1-1 draw against Chinese Taipei.
“For sure, it wasn’t easiest coming back from Taipei and playing in 90 minutes under these conditions and being 1-0 down and fighting back.
So kudos to the team. At the end of the day, in Germany, we call this a dirty win, winning despite the adversity we faced,” Weiss said.
“In October, it will be at a higher level in the Middle East. We are going to have a camp in Bahrain and there might be some good news against some very strong teams which are not yet confirmed.”
The national men’s football team currently has a 2-1-1 win-draw-loss record in international matches under Weiss since the German mentor returned last June.
With the Philippines, No. 135 in the International Football Federation rankings, in Group F along with Iraq and Vietnam and the winner between Indonesia and Brunei in the qualifiers, the upcoming training camp will help the Azkals boost their chances of finishing in the top two spots of the group and advancing to the next round.
A top-two finish in Group F would also grant the Azkals a direct slot in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Azkals team captain Niel Etheridge has nothing but praise for his teammates as they did not solely rely on their talents and kept going even when the odds were stacked against them.
“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,” said Etheridge, who is also a goalkeeper for Birmingham City FC in the English Football League Championship in England.
“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.”
