The Philippine women’s national football team is feeling brave and ready ahead of its much-awaited match against Sam Kerr’s Australia in the second round of the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Sunday, Oct. 29. 

The world No. 44 Filipinas topped the group standings ahead of the Matildas after their opening fixtures. 

Both squads earned three points each following separate victories against Chinese Taipei and Iran, though, the Philippines claimed the top seed after scoring four goals compared to Australia’s two. 

Not only the world No. 11 Australians will play before their home crowd, but inside a bigger stadium. 

Last month, the tournament body announced that the game between the Philippines and Australia has been moved to a bigger venue due to “soaring demand”.  

From the Perth Rectangular Stadium, the match will be seen at Optus Stadium which has a capacity of 60,000. 

In their recent encounter, the Filipinas suffered a 4-nil defeat against the Matildas, who were anchored by star striker Kerr, in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, where the Philippines eventually fell 2-0 in the semifinals against South Korea. 

Despite the tough challenge that awaits them, the Filipinas are constantly upbeat to meet and gain experience against top nations. 

“I just think for us, we just wanna be brave and we wanna accept and take these challenges of playing a top side. And just give the girls the opportunity to go out there and enjoy the moment. And then whatever comes from that game comes in that game,” said Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso. 

“But we truly believe that they can get something out of this game and get a good result. But we are definitely looking forward to it, it’s gonna be in front of a lot of people which our girls have had some experience in that. So, we’re just worried about us and the way that we wanna play that. And how that holds up and that it gets what we want out of the game,” he added. 

The Philippines recently survived one of its biggest battles yet after claiming its first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup win over tournament co-host New Zealand in July. 

For Torcaso, playing against the Matildas will be no different as the Filipinas had already proven their worth in front of the higher ranked opponents in the football showpiece. 

Sarina Bolden, who brought the Philippines along for a sweet football ride in the world meet with the historic goal, scored her 28th one for the Philippines after finishing with a brace against the Chinese Taipei side. 

“From the start, we’ve had really brave conversations about this whole tournament and that we are excited about being part of this campaign. So, 14,000 or whatever it was against Chinese Taipei to 50,000 that may be on the weekend, these girls are just really excited to be part of this. And we’re excited to be part of this, the staff, too,” Torcaso said. 

“There’s no doubt that Australia’s gonna be a tough challenge for us, but we’re up for it. And we wanna take up on the challenge cause that’s gonna [help] improve our players for their future. It’s gonna put them in a good [position] if we continue to play against top opponents. I think last night’s performance for us also was a testament on what’s been put to this team over the last couple of years,” he furthered. 

Torcaso was also glad to be able to work with a complete roster in the tournament for the first time since his appointment two months ago. 

"Chinese Taipei’s 38th ranked, so for us to get a really convincing result, it’s pleasing for us to see where we are at as a country and as a team. But coming up against Australia will be a really tough challenge. We’ll be ready, give our absolute best and hope to make everyone proud,” he concluded.