With their world ranking up by a notch, the Philippine Azkals national's men football team will continue stepping up their preparations for their two major international meets in the coming months.
After returning from a training camp in Bahrain with players seeking spots in the squad, the Azkals head back to the Middle East on Oct. 8 for another training camp in Qatar.
“It was successful and productive, considering that we only had two training session,” said team manager Dan Palami.
The national squad has been divided into two groups, with the first headed for a pocket tournament in Bangladesh and the rest going to the Qatar camp.
Palami said the players going to the Qatar are those who have not been in Bahrain.
“We are still in the process of finalizing the final lineup for the Asian Cup and the Suzuki Cup,” added Palami.
The Azkals have reached all-time best ranking of 111th in the FIFA world ranking back in May.
But, due to inactivity, the Azkals dipped to 115th for June and August before going back up to no. 114.
The Azkals remain as the second-best Southeast Asian football nation, behind 102-ranked Vietnam.
During their camp in Bahrain, the Azkals played to a 1-1 draw against the host team in an international friendly in early September
This marked the coaching debut of Scott Cooper, who came aboard following the sudden withdrawal of Terry Butcher.
