PHNOM PENH – The fast-improving Philippines are building up to their maiden Fifa Women’s World Cup, but first South-east Asian glory is at stake and a must-win clash against Vietnam on Tuesday.

The Vietnamese are reigning SEA Games champions and the only other regional team going to the July 20-Aug 20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Ahead of the crunch encounter between the sides in the Games group stage, Philippine coach Alen Stajcic admitted Vietnam were the benchmark for his young team as they embark on a historic few months.

“Vietnam’s been the best team in South-east Asia, along with Thailand, for about 20 years now, 30 years,” said the Australian. “They’re a good team, I actually love watching them play.”

The Philippines are upsetting that duopoly. It began at the Women’s Asian Cup in India in early 2022, when they made the semi-finals, losing to continental giants South Korea but earning a historic first World Cup berth in the process.

They followed that up by taking the SEA Games bronze in May 2022 in Vietnam, then won the regional Asean Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship in July on home soil via a 4-0 semi-final win over Vietnam and a 3-0 victory over Thailand in the final.

The Philippines are 49th in the Fifa rankings, the highest they have ever been.

Their rise has been driven partly by a push to recruit young players from the country’s large diaspora, nurturing classy players such as striker Sarina Bolden and playmaker Quinley Quezada.

Their most recent starting XI – average age just under 24 – was composed entirely of players born in North America.

Their opening match ended in a 1-0 loss to Myanmar, but they beat Malaysia 1-0 on Saturday with a towering header from Bolden.

“Never give up, that’s just always been my mentality. The game isn’t over until that ref blows that final whistle,” said the California-born Bolden, who top-scored at the AFF tournament with eight goals.

“I feel like this team has been through so much in the past 15-16 months.

“It doesn’t matter what time of the game it is, just that Filipino resilience, we’re never going to give up.”

Their rise is clearly a problem for Vietnam, who have taken gold at the last three SEA Games and won their opening two matches in Cambodia, led by scoring legend Huynh Nhu.

The sides face each other in the final group game and the Philippines still need to make up the points to progress. AFP