MANILA -- The Philippine women's national football team expects to be tested by a "very tough" Chinese Taipei squad when they play in a friendly on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
The Filipinas are in the midst of a camp in Manila to continue their build-up for a series of competitions in the second half of 2025, including the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers in late June.
Head coach Mark Torcaso has been pleased with their progress, noting that the players are "slowly getting used to the conditions." However, their true test will come on Tuesday against a Chinese Taipei squad that is just one spot below them at No. 42 in FIFA's latest rankings.
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"We've obviously followed Chinese Taipei over the last year and a half. And they're a developing side like us and they're getting better and better," said Torcaso. "So they've played some tough opponents in the last couple of windows. We know they'll be a very tough team."
"That's why we chose them to be here and to play us. So it's perfect preparation for the Asian Cup qualifiers," he added.
The Philippines clobbered Chinese Taipei, 4-1, when they met in the second round of the AFC Olympic Qualifiers back in October 2023. Since then, Chinese Taipei have been busy, with several friendlies in 2024 including a pair of games against powerhouse Australia in December.
Meanwhile, the Filipinas are coming off back-to-back victories against United Arab Emirates from their camp in Dubai last April
Torcaso acknowledges that Chinese Taipei is a step up in competition from UAE, which is ranked 112th in the world.
The Philippine women's national football team in training ahead of their FIFA international friendly against Chinese Taipei. Mia Montayre, PFF-PWNFT Media
"This camp, we wanted to work on a stronger team and we know Chinese Taipei is a very strong team," he said. "We wanted to come up against a tough team that would help challenge us for the Asian Cup qualifiers."
"So the expectations are for us to continue to build the playing style. We're getting there, we got to a point where we're comfortable with it. But this camp will provide us, hopefully an opportunity to be really good defensively," said Torcaso.
The Filipinas will still be without a handful of veterans, including Sarina Bolden and Quinley Quezada, as they are dealing with injuries. Star midfielder Katrina Guillou, a veteran of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, was also not called up along with Meryll Serrano.
For Torcaso, the absence of some senior players due to injuries should open the door to players from their Under-20 pool to make their mark in camp.
"You'll see a lot of young, new faces. There's a couple of new players as well. But it's a great opportunity for them to give themselves a chance to be part of the Asian Cup qualifiers," he said.
Kick-off between the Filipinas and Chinese Taipei is at 7:00 p.m. at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. Tickets are still available.