Inquirer
PH men’s football team drops close loss to Iraq in World Cup qualifiers
The Philippine men's national football team lost 1-0 to Iraq in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Joint Qualifiers.
The lone goal was scored by Mohanad Ali in the 84th minute, with over 64,000 spectators in attendance.
Under new head coach Tom Saintfiet, the team showed a strong defensive effort, with captain Neil Etheridge making crucial saves.
Iraq remains undefeated in Group F with nine points, while the Philippines stays at the bottom with one point from one draw and two losses.
The Philippines, ranked 157th, faced Iraq, ranked 39th, who were recently at the 2023 Asian Cup.
The rematch is scheduled for March 26 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
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See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
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.
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The Philippine men's national football team lost their first FIFA World Cup Qualifier match under new coach Tom Saintfiet, succumbing to a 1-0 defeat against Iraq.
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Philippine men's football coach Tom Saintfiet has apologized for the team's crushing 5-0 defeat against Iraq in the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
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