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| PMNFT standout Sandro Reyes said that it may still be too early for the national team to think about the 2030 FIFA World Cup despite President Bongbong Marcos' wish. PFF (file photo) |
MANILA—Amid President Bongbong Marcos' vocal wish for the Philippines to play in the FIFA World Cup during his State of the Nation Address, Philippine Men's National Football Team star Sandro Reyes said that qualifying for the 2030 staging is not in their minds as of now.
Speaking during the pre-match press conference of the PMNFT's upcoming ASEAN Hyundai Cup match against Myanmar on Monday night, the Gutersloh midfielder said that the squad is taking the road to 2030 gradually, and the immediate focus is on the regional tournament.
"I think the World Cup is something that's very far out of our eyesight right now. Today, we're just thinking about the Hyundai Cup. And then we think about the next (FIFA) ASEAN Cup or the Asian Games," Reyes responded to Marcos' SONA.
The PMNFT will have a busy second half of 2026, and this includes the ongoing ASEAN Hyundai Cup, in which they have been grouped into Group B along with Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia.
The PMNFT will host Myanmar on Tuesday night at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, their second meeting this year since the Tri-Nation Friendly, and then the Nationals will go away to face Laos in Vientiane on Saturday night.
The five-time semifinalists go back to Capas to face powerhouse Thailand next Tuesday, and they will play the final away match in Kuala Lumpur against Malaysia on August 8.
Afterwards, the PMNFT will compete in the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup, while the under-23 team will play in the Asian Games, which will both happen in September.
Reyes said that the PMNFT will just begin thinking about World Cup qualification in the next FIFA window after the Asian Games.
"We'll think about the friendlies to start qualifying for the World Cup again after the Asian Games, so I think that's something that's not really in our minds right now. But for sure, day by day we'll try to work hard to get better. That's all we can control," Reyes assured.
Marcos wished that the Philippines would be at the World Cup during his fifth SONA earlier Monday after citing the Filipinas, the women's national football team, in terms of football relevance in the country.
The joint qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup and 2031 Asian Cup will start in March 2027, with the group draw happening sometime this year.
Reyes hopes that Marcos' wishlist would entice sports stakeholders to invest in the PMNFT with a lot of time left before the next World Cup.
"It would be nice to get even more support than we are getting, so we can achieve those goals that he is saying," Reyes said.
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