Philippines vs Vietnam

Rizal Memorial Stadium hosts an exciting 2026 World Cup qualifying showdown between the Philippines and Vietnam.

If the Philippines were to qualify for their first World Cup finals, a winning start against Vietnam is imperative, even though you’d need to go back to November 2012 for their last H2H win. They’ve since lost five consecutive encounters between the sides, ominously conceding multiple goals on four occasions. Avenging that dreadful streak looks like a tall order as Michael Weiss’ side relinquished a three-game unbeaten run (W2, D1) with a lackluster 1-0 loss to Bahrain in the run-up to this clash. The Philippines’ consistency issues have seen them alternate between winning (3) and losing (2) across their last five home internationals, casting further doubt on their effort to get their Group F campaign off to a winning start. But since four of those five matches featured over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring, this should be a fun contest.

As for visiting Vietnam, the beginning of World Cup qualifying couldn’t have come at a worse possible moment for manager Philippe Troussier, who faces a mammoth task of ending his side’s three-game losing streak. It’s not just that, the ‘Golden Star Warriors’ have lost all those matches without scoring while conceding 2+ goals on each occasion, including an embarrassing 6-0 defeat to South Korea last time out. All that paints a bleak picture for the Vietnamese, who bid to reach the World Cup for the first time. Their continental stature improved during the last qualifying cycle as they advanced into round three for the first time in the nation’s history, only to lose four out of five away qualifiers (D1).