PH football team bows to Iraq in World Cup qualifiers

The Philippine men's national football team lost 5-0 to Iraq in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, with over 10,000 spectators in attendance.

Iraq's Aymen Hussein scored the first goal from a penalty in the 14th minute, followed by goals from Amir Fouad and Hussein again, giving Iraq a 3-0 halftime lead.

Zidane Iqbal extended Iraq's lead to 4-0 in the 62nd minute, and Zaid Tahseen Hantoosh scored their fifth goal.

This was the Philippines' second consecutive defeat against Iraq in the qualifiers and their fourth loss overall in Group F.

Team captain Neil Etheridge apologized for the team's performance, stating they made crucial mistakes that were punished by Iraq.

Etheridge and the Philippines will now need to win both away matches in June against Indonesia and Vietnam for a chance to secure a second-place finish in Group F.

Indonesia tightened its hold on second spot after defeating Vietnam in the other group match to go seven points in the table.

The Philippines lags behind at the bottom with one point, trailing third-running Vietnam by two.

Iraq has already advanced to the next round of World Cup qualification with its fourth win in as many matches for 12 points.