By: Gil Moriones
TAGUIG CITY -- The one who offers help is often the one who waits to devour.
The Filipinas' suspenseful campaign in the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup continues after Japan eliminated Vietnam with an emphatic 4-0 victory in the final Group C match at Perth Rectangular Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
Japan’s dominant performance officially ended Vietnam's hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil, as the result left the Southeast Asian side with a -4 goal differential.
By virtue of this result, the 2025 SEA Games gold medalists now progress to the quarterfinals, where they will face the very team that facilitated their advancement—Japan—on March 15 in Sydney.
The Filipinas secured their spot by finishing as one of the tournament's two best-ranked third-placed teams, alongside Uzbekistan.
The last meeting between the two sides was in the 2023 Asian Games quarterfinals, where Japan secured a decisive 8-1 victory. Sarina Bolden provided the lone goal for the Philippines, scoring via a header off an accurate corner kick from Sara Eggesvik.
Regardless of the outcome on Sunday, the Filipinas have already secured a significant milestone: they have automatically qualified for the 2028 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, joining Australia, South Korea, North Korea, China, Japan, and Chinese Taipei.
Of course, the primary prize—a ticket to Brazil—remains within reach.
A victory over Japan would secure a spot in the semi-finals, which guarantees an automatic berth in the 2027 Women's World Cup.
Should the Filipinas fall in the quarterfinals, they will still have another chance to qualify for the Women's World Cup through the play-off round against the loser of the Uzbekistan vs. South Korea match on March 19.
