SYDNEY, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines and DPR Korea secured direct qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup after registering victories in their respective Women's Asian Cup playoffs at Gold Coast Stadium on Thursday.
Angela Beard and Jaclyn Sawicki struck just after halftime to secure a 2-0 victory for the Philippines over Uzbekistan. The Philippines, which reached the semifinals at the 2022 Asian Cup, saw Beard open the scoring shortly after the restart before Sawicki headed home.
The Philippines had earlier missed several golden opportunities despite dominating the first half, while Uzbekistan struggled to capitalize on their limited chances, managing only five shots to the Philippines' 17.
In the other playoff match, Hong Song-ok scored a hat-trick and Kim Kyong-yong added a fourth to secure a 4-0 victory for DPR Korea over Chinese Taipei.
DPR Korea, which will return to the global showpiece for the first time since 2011, saw Hong open the scoring late in the first half. Hong and Kim then headed into the net shortly after halftime before Hong completed her hat-trick in the 68th minute. Chinese Taipei was ultimately overwhelmed as DPR Korea controlled the match, finishing with 42 shots to Chinese Taipei's four.
Both Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei will now enter the Inter-Confederation Playoffs later in 2026 to keep their World Cup hopes alive. ■
