Neil Etheridge banners 26-man Azkals roster for World Cup qualifiers

Neil Etheridge leads the 26-player roster of the Philippine Azkals which were called up to play in the second round of the joint qualifiers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup.

Azkals veterans Manny Ott, Patrick Reichelt, Mike Ott, Kenshiro Daniels, OJ Porteria, and Daisuke Sato will join Etheridge as the Azkals play Vietnam and Indonesia in front of the home crowd at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on November 16 and 21, respectively.

The full roster includes:

• Etheridge, Neil 
• Hansen, Kevin Ray
• Deyto, Patrick
• Rota, Simone
• Martinez de Murga, Carlos Alberto
• Tabinas, Jefferson David
• Rontini, Christian
• Curran, Jesse Thomas
• Sato, Daisuke
• Rublico, Santiago
• Villanueva, Dennis
• Lyngbo, Simen Alexander
• Bugas, Pocholo
• Porteria, Jose Elmer
• Ott, Manny
• Ott, Mike
• Kekkonen, Oskari
• Ingreso, Kevin
• Baas, Mikel Justin
• Reichelt, Patrick
• Marañon, Bienvenido
• Menzi, Audie
• Angeles, Marwin Janver
• Melliza, Jesus Joaquin
• Daniels, Kenshiro 
• Schröck, Stephan

"It’s a good mixture of experienced mainstays for a long time and young well-developing talents brought on by the recent performances of Philippine clubs in AFC competitions," Azkals coach Michael Weiss said in a statement about the lineup.

"It gives us reason to be optimistic for our first World Cup qualifier matches against Vietnam and Indonesia."

The Azkals coach also encouraged fans to watch the matches live as the Philippine Football Federation launched the 'Stand Your Ground: 10K Strong' campaign.

“A very important factor is the enthusiasm and support of the 12th man,” said Weiss. “We hope the fans come in numbers to the stadium, and be part of history.”

Etheridge also previously rallied fans to watch their qualifiers live. 

“This team and this sport means so much bringing me some amazing memories and I want our supporters to come on this journey and experience it with us,” added Etheridge. “I promise that we will give everything to put the smiles on our supporters faces.”

—JKC, GMA Integrated News