As Azkals start World Cup qualification at home, will fans turn up?

After the Filipinas’ historic first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance in New Zealand this year, it is now the Azkals’ turn to try and create history by attempting to qualify to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Philippine national men’s football team’s road to the pinnacle of world football that is the FIFA World Cup is nothing but difficult, but being bracketed with fellow Southeast Asian countries Vietnam and Indonesia in Group F does offer some hope.

Iraq may perhaps be favorites to top the Azkals’ group, but with both the winners and runners-up advancing to the next round of qualifiers, there is some optimism that the Azkals can put up a good fight.

Advancing to the next round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers also automatically qualifies the country for the AFC Asian Cup, so ultimately, there is a lot at stake for the Azkals.

The schedule has also provided the Philippine team with a solid boost, with back-to-back home games against Vietnam and Indonesia kicking off the World Cup qualifying campaign.

Coach Michael Weiss has taken over the reins of the team and has provided a sense of stability and steadiness over the squad, and the team has largely responded positively, with a victory against a 97th ranked Kyrgyzstan last month a notable result.

First up on November 16 is mighty Vietnam, two-time AFF Champions and together with Thailand are the current gold standard in football in our part of the world.

Captain Neil Etheridge was in goal when the Azkals famously defeated Vietnam in the game dubbed as the “Miracle in Hanoi”, leading to the Azkals rise to prominence in 2010.

Now, the former English Premier League goalkeeper will lead the squad, and together with veterans Patrick Reichelt, OJ Porteria, Kevin Ingreso, and Daisuke Sato will hope to inspire the team to a rousing start in what is expected to be a well-attended Rizal Memorial Stadium.

After the 26-man squad list, fans were quick to note that the squad was noticeably missing the likes of Gerritt Holtmann, John-Patrick Strauss, Sandro Reyes, and Sebastian Rasmussen, who are out of the lineup due to a myriad of reasons, most of which we won’t even want to know. Let us instead focus on the players who are here.

Truth be told, teams play in tournaments with squads which are sometimes far from ideal. It is what those available players do on the pitch that oftentimes spell the difference.

Our opponents Vietnam, for instance, will similarly miss key players. According to the VN Express, first choice centerback Do Duy Manh, left back Doan Van Hau and talisman Nguyen Quang Hai will miss the match against the Azkals.

Their misfortune may be our gain, and fan turnout is expected to be good, with the PFF spearheading a battle cry for the Azkals’ qualifying campaign: #StandYourGround #10kStrong, with the aim of getting 10,000 supporters to the Azkals home games.

PFF Secretary General Coco Torre has been vocal about how important this support can be:

“It means everything to the team. The supporters must realize how motivated the players become when they play in front of a packed stadium. To have Rizal Stadium full is already half the victory for Philippine Football.”

Taking a page out of the football fan experience overseas, Coco Torre promises a great and fun experience for the fans.

“We're going to have a party,” he told GMA News Online.

“For the first time ever, we will be serving beer in the fan zone to go along with delicious food from our selected vendors. We will also mount a mini-pitch where fans can play a small sided game, face painting, foosball, etc.”

For far too long, people have been clamoring for the PFF have the initiative to promote the Azkals’ games extensively, to engage the fans, and to give the people a good fan experience.

The PFF seems to have done its part this time, even getting sports icon Manny Pacquiao to promote the homestand.

It’s now up to the fans to respond, with few excuses to not put their money where their mouths are and head on to catch the games live at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, if possible.

Some fans were also very quick to note and deride the inclusion of Azkals legend Stephan Schrock in the lineup, even making desultory memes essentially questioning his involvement given his 37 years of age.

Coach Weiss himself stood up for his vet, pointing to the amount of work that Schrock is putting in to be able to play the minutes that may be asked of him.

Schrock, who had already once announced his retirement in January 2023, has always made himself available and admirably still heeds the call of the national team in the hour of need.

Despite some detractors, he will be there on November 16, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, standing with his right hand on his heart as the Philippine national anthem is sung.

The question is — will the Filipino football fans give the Azkals a massive boost and join him there?

—JMB, GMA Integrated News