John Aldrin Cullat

Chandler McDaniel’s fourth-minute strike sealed a 1-0 victory for the Philippine Women’s National Football Team over Hong Kong, securing their return ticket in the 2026 AFC Asian Cup in AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers held at Phnom Penh’s National Olympic Stadium, July 5.

Photo Courtesy of AFC.

With the win, the Filipinas stayed in the hunt to repeat their ‘herstoric’ 2022 AFC campaign win against Chinese Taipei via penalty shootout that kicked off their debut at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The Filipinas swept Group G with a clean-slate 3-0 win against Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, and Hong Kong, securing a return trip in the 2026 Women’s AFC Asian Cup to be held in Australia.

Chandler McDaniel struck early for the Filipinas, netting her second goal in the tourney from Alexa Pino’s short pass just four minutes in to give the squad a 1-0 advantage in the first half.

“The team had a goal and it’s to win all three games, and do the best we absolutely could,” said McDaniel.
“We showed a lot of heart and we came out and showed that. We deserve to go back to the qualifiers [FIFA World Cup] again this year,” she added.

The Filipinas held firm as goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel denied a close-range attempt from Chinese forward Cheung Wai Ki in the 20th minute, preserving their early one-goal advantage.

Early in the second half, the Philippines found an opportunity as Chu Kwan Song received a yellow card in the 46th minute, setting up a free kick that was blocked by Hong Kong’s goalkeeper Leung Wai Nga.

Hong Kongers pressed hard for an equalizer in the closing minutes, but the Filipinas stood strong on defense and held their ground, securing a hard-earned victory.

The PH booters also joined Australia, Bangladesh, China, Japan, and South Korea as qualifiers for the said tournament.

Another milestone will be marked as the Filipinas aim for 2027 FIFA World Cup rerun in Brazil and for their ambitious campaign in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.