Azkals excited to play Vietnam in full Rizal stadium

Christmas is somehow coming, and for the Philippine Azkals, the greatest gift they can receive is to get the support of many Filipinos once they play their match against Vietnam in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

The Azkals will play Vietnam and Indonesia this month in the second round of the Asian Qualifiers and the Philippine Football Federation recently rallied the fans to fill the historic Rizal Memorial Stadium and be the team's 12th man with its 10K Strong campaign.

In a post last November 9, the Philippine Football Federation said they already secured 60% of their goal in terms of ticket sales.

"I am thinking the stadium will be full. That's what we want, that's what we deserve. We are working to get back the trust of the people with a top performance," Azkals head coach Weiss said in a prematch press conference on Wednesday.

Weiss even compared his excitement for tomorrow's crowd to the holiday season.

"Even at my age now, I'm very much looking forward to it, like a child going into Christmas season."

Team captain Neil Etheridge, meanwhile, is looking forward to the electric atmosphere of the crowd on Thursday, just like the heyday of the Azkals more than a decade ago.

"I've been through the ups and downs of this, [but] many of the players in the squad, they haven't experienced a full Rizal stadium. I said to them be careful what you wish for because it can be a very intimidating place to play," Etheridge shared.

While Etheridge admitted that the attention of football has somehow taken a step back in the previous years, the Azkals team captain said playing in front of the home crowd will always be something special.

"We are representing the Philippines, we are proud Filipinos here fighting for our country. It's fantastic for us as players to play in front of the home fans," he said.

'Tight encounter' vs Vietnam, but Azkals in good place now

With the home crowd advantage somehow secured, the team said they are in a good position now heading to their match against Vietnam.

"Vietnam is going to this game as the heavy favorites, but they will have a very hard time. If they want to beat us, they have to really invest everything. That is what I can promise, that is what I demand from the team," Weiss said.

"It will be a very tight encounter. I'm very excited."

Etheridge echoed Weiss, saying they will give everything in the qualifier.

"Just to reiterate what coach said, we've had some good results and good performances in recent months. We're happy in the place where we are at. It doesn't guarantee anything tomorrow night but we're gonna give everything. For us we are at a very good place and we're happy and proud with the amount of support tomorrow," he added.

Vietnam head coach Philippe Troussier, meanwhile, said the team is excited as they start their journey to a possible FIFA World Cup slot.

"For the last eight months, it's clear that we focused our preparation for these moments. During these eight months, we had an elaborate process to implement some new philosophy of football that's why we used this eight months to identify players," he said.

"We are impassioned because this is our first official match. We are excited to show what we can do."

The Azkals will face Vietnam on Thursday night, while they play Indonesia on the 21st.

The three countries, along with Iraq, are pooled in Group F in the 9-group qualification round.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers and will also qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News