The NT women's begins its Asian qualifying campaign against the Philippines

2025-06-29
14:21:01

The Saudi Arabia women's national team began its journey in the 2026 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, participating for the first time in its history, with a strong match against the Philippines. The match took place today at the National Olympic Stadium in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, and ended with a 3-0 victory for the Philippines.

This qualifier is the second official participation at the continental level for the Saudi women's national team, having participated for the first time in the 2024 WAFF Women's Championship.

Participation in the 2026 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers aims to gain experience in official continental and international competitions, as the Saudi women's national team was previously included in the international rankings in 2023, making it one of the last Asian teams to do so.

The Saudi women's national team has a low average age of 23 years, which gives it great potential for development, building, and increasing its sporting experience.

The Saudi women's national team delivered a promising performance against a team with extensive continental experience and a number of highly experienced players at the international level.

The Philippines women's national team is one of the most prominent teams in Asia, currently ranked 41st in the FIFA rankings and seventh in Asia. The team has witnessed remarkable development in recent years, having previously reached the semi-finals of the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup in India, in addition to its historic participation in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, an indication of the rapid development the Philippines has witnessed in recent years.

Head coach Luis Cortes emphasized the importance of participating in such strong matches at the beginning of the continental journey, given their high technical value and long-term development. He noted that work is ongoing to better prepare for upcoming matches.

"This participation represents an important stage in our building journey. We realize that the road is still in its infancy, and we will work to correct mistakes and prepare better for the upcoming matches.", Cortes said.

The Saudi women's national team is preparing to face Hong Kong and Cambodia in the remaining two matches of the qualifiers, with ambitions to achieve satisfactory results that reflect the development witnessed by women's football in the Kingdom and the ongoing support of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.