The Philippine national football team, Philippine Azkals is bracketed in Group B in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup after the draw results held on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at the host country Maldives.
The other countries that belongs to Group B are Turkmenistan, Laos, and Afghanistan. The toughest opponent of the Philippine Azkals is teamTurkmenistan, the squad that defeated the Azkals in the semis of the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal which also caused Neil Etheridge suspension.
Although the Philippines is considered as the highest ranked in Group B of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup based upon the latest FIFA rankings, the national team needs plenty of preparation to secure a spot in the second round.
The Azkals currently ranked at 17th spot in Asia, Turkmenistan is at 19th spot, Afghanistan is 23rd while Laos is currently at the 29th spot in the FIFA Asian ranking sponsored by Coca-Cola.
During the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup Qualifying tournament last March, the Philippine Azkals topped Group E, beating Turkmenistan and Cambodia in the three-squad group played at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Group A on the other hand are composed of Maldives, Palestine, Kyrgyztan and Myanmar.
The AFC Challenge Cup 2014 Finals will be held this coming May 19 to 30 in Maldives, with the winner getting a slot in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup featuring the best national team in the Asian Region.
Here’s the official announcement of AFC:
AFC Challenge Cup Maldives 2014 : Official Draw Result pic.twitter.com/gbbXvsnAh4
— The-AFC.com (@theafcdotcom) February 12, 2014
