WHO is afraid of the Filipinas’ foes in Group A of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia next year?
Not Australian coach Mark Torcaso, who believes that his charges can beat anyone in the group that includes host Australia and South Korea, both women’s football powerhouses, and dark horse Iran.
“I am not entirely worried about the opponents in our group. Because I believe if we focus on ourselves, we can go to another World Cup,” stressed Torcaso over the weekend before leaving for the MISG Serenity Cup starting tomorrow in Vietnam.
The AFC Asian Women’s Cup scheduled March 1 to 21, 2026 in the Australian cities of Perth, Sydney and the Gold Coast will be the continental qualifying meet for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with eight tickets up for grabs.
With right support, preparation and motivation, the Australian tactician firmly believes that his wards will fear no one, including the Matildas, who face them in their opening clash on March 1, 2026 at the 61,000-seat Optus Stadium in Western Australia’s provincial capital of Perth.
Torcaso, who was at the draw made in Sydney last week, noted that his Matildas counterpart and countryman, Joe Montemurrro, seemed concerned when the result came out that the Filipinas would be their first opponents.
“I think I was more excited about getting Australia than he (Montemurro) was. Because he thinks we are a dangerous team, and I believe we are a dangerous team,” he said.
The Nationals are accustomed to playing in front of a huge hometown crowd and winning, their most famous being their stunning 1-0 upset of the New Zealand Ferns in their World Cup debut in New Zealand two years ago.
“Our goal is to get any spot that will get us to the World Cup. We want to move out of our group first and make sure that we give ourselves every chance with the best preparation we possibly can,” said the 2023 Australian Coach of the Year.
He was grateful that there would be eight slots at stake in the Asian Cup, with the four semifinalists advancing to the quadrennial global football showcase together with the four winners of the play-in matches of quarterfinal losers.
He said the addition of a new assistant coach in fellow Aussie Riccardo Marchioli would be an asset in navigating the path Down Under successfully to the World Cup.
“It was important to find the right coach and he could be an asset to our team,” noted Torcaso of the replacement of former deputy mentor Andrew Andante.
“He (Marchioli) has been a head coach, part of the US Olympic team and has extensive experience. He has a sound football mind and tactical knowledge. We are excited for him,” said the coach of his new assistant.
Marchioli was a member of the coaching staff of the American side that won the gold medal in the Paris Olympic Games.
