THE Philippines found itself in Group E with Hong Kong, Pakistan and Tajikistan in the first round of the Women’s Olympic qualifiers after the official draw yesterday at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Filipinas need to top the group to advance to the next round where they and the other group topnotchers will be joined by the five highest teams in Asia — China, Japan, Australia and North and South Korea.
The host teams for the groups in the first qualifying round will be announced in due course, according to the press release posted on the AFC website after the draw, with the matches scheduled from April 3 to 11.
The three group winners and the best-ranked runners-up will face off in the third round where they will play two pairs of home-and-away matches, with the two winners booking tickets to the 2024 Paris Women’s Olympic football tournament.
Although their chances are slim, the charges of coach Alen Stajcic are hoping to be the first local side to compete in the Olympics after qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in July.
