MANILA: Philippines coach Carles Cuadrat is hoping to break new ground when he leads his team to the Asean Hyundai Cup 2026 as the nation of almost 120 million people looks to reach the final of the 16th edition of the region’s biggest football event for the first time.
In the most recent edition, the Philippines qualified for the semi-finals for the fifth time since 2010 but fell once again at the penultimate hurdle as Thailand inflicted a 4-3 aggregate loss in extra-time on their opponents.
Two years on from that heartbreak, Cuadrat believes he is building a team capable of making history.
“We know that it’s a really difficult challenge,” says the Catalan coach, who took over from Albert Capellas last year. “There are top teams in the competition, but we feel that the progression of football in the Philippines is good.
“We are managing a really good, competitive team. We have had good results in recent years, so I think we have a team that can cause other teams problems and be really competitive.
“Of course, we want to prepare well. It’s a very interesting competition. Anything can happen, and we know all the teams are going to be prepared. So it’s a question of being ready at the moment to try to do our best.
“We know that in four games a lot of things can happen, but I have a feeling that the team is getting very, very competitive. That’s the important thing, to arrive at the competition with options to do big things.”
The Philippines will begin their Group B campaign at home against Myanmar on July 28 after also being drawn alongside seven-time winners Thailand, former champions Malaysia and Laos.
The first two finishers in the group standings will advance to the knockout rounds, with the semi-finals and final to be played on a home-and-away basis from August 15 to 26 when the Hyundai Cup celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Cuadrat plans to continue tapping into the country’s diaspora in an effort to bolster a squad that has shown signs of improvement.
“The (Philippine Football) Federation is taking things very seriously; they’ve been creating a plan so we can see the progression of the national team over the last few years,” says Cuadrat.
“We reached the semi-finals of the Asean Championship in 2024, and last December, our under-23 team progressed to the semi-finals of the SEA Games for the first time in a long time.
“That means we have been getting some talented players and I’m very positive about the progression of football in the Philippines. For the Hyundai Cup we will try to get the best players possible.”
The Philippines was among the first nations in South-East Asia to benefit from using eligible overseas-born players to bolster their squad, and Cuadrat believes that those raised in countries with a strong tradition in the sport remain vital to his team’s success.
“We want to take advantage of the players who have relatives and can get a passport. For us, it’s very important to get players who can be competitive in the top level. We have been trying our best,” he says.
“We have been getting some new players from European leagues, and it’s going to be important so we can achieve the best results possible. They have been educated in top programmes in Europe or America. That means they have been working with great coaches and using great facilities.
“Also, the competition is very important. If they are playing in very difficult leagues, then they have to perform in a way to grow in the game. We’re also trying to get a better league in the Philippines, but there is still a difference.
“This is the combination we are trying to get; good local players playing in the Philippines but also the players in other leagues with Philippines passports that allow us to be competitive.”
The Asean Hyundai Cup
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the Asean Hyundai Cup is the jewel in the crown of Asean football as South-East Asia's top international football tournament with 11 Asean nations battling for regional supremacy on a biennial basis.
Since its inception in 1996, it has grown from a two-week-long centralised tournament into a competition that is played across every South-East Asian country and major city over four weeks.
Thailand is the competition's most successful team with seven titles, but they were denied an eighth championship in 2024 after they were beaten 5-3 on aggregate in the final by Vietnam, who claimed their third title. Singapore is the competition's second most successful team with four championships, while Malaysia have lifted the trophy once in 2010.
The competition has grown from strength to strength with each edition, setting records both on and off the field, to seal its position as the region’s largest, most popular football event. In 2024, it achieved a record 541.5 million viewers on television and digital streaming platforms while social media channels Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X registered 12.66 billion views of event-related videos.
