The Philippine national men’s football team is a work in progress and will do its best when it meets Iraq on Friday in its third match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
National coach Tom Saintfiet said this as Team Philippines arrived in Basra on Wednesday evening as it gets ready to play against the Iraqis at the Basra International Stadium.
“We are a team in construction. So this will be a difficult game for us,” said Saintfiet, coach of the national team which is on a rebuilding phase, in a bid to advance to the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
So far, Iraq sits on top of the standings in the Group F qualifiers, having won its first two games in the second round, first settling for 2-1 triumph over Indonesia on Nov. 16 in Basra, and then a 1-0 win in Hanoi on Nov. 21.
As for the Philippines, it lost 0-1 to Vietnam in a home game at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium on Nov. 16 and played Indonesia to a 1-all draw on Nov. 21 at the same venue.
Saintfiet said Iraq will have a big crowd support of 65,000 fans going into its third game in his debut match with the Philippines.
“It gives me goosebumps. So we will have to be well-prepared, we will have to be disciplined and fight with our hearts, and also enjoy the game,” added Saintfiet, who took over from coach Michael Weiss recently.
The Iraqis, also known as the Lions of Mesopotamia and ranked 59th in the world, will come into the game with many scorers, like Ali Alhammadi and Mohammad Ali.
The no. 139th Philippines will be led experienced members like Patrick Deyto (Chonburi), Neil Etheridge (Birmingham City) and Kevin Ray Mendoza (Persib Bandung).