The national women’s football team will restart its buildup when it battles New Zealand in a friendly match on 6 September.
In an announcement, the Kiwis said they will be facing the Filipinas and Mexicans in the FIFA September window at the Titan Stadium in Los Angeles.
It will be the first time for the Philippines to clash with world No. 22 New Zealand, which will serve as Australia’s co-host for the FIFA Women’s World Cup next year.
Aside from the Filipina booters, the Kiwis also invited fellow World Cup-bound squad Mexico for their opening match on 2 September at the same venue.
“Philippines play a little bit differently — they don’t have a traditional style of play like South Korea, Japan or China,” Kiwis head coach Jitka Klimková said.
“We will study them and prepare our players to respond to the challenge.”
With their rapid ascent capped by a stellar AFF Women’s Championship title last month, the Alen Stajcic-mentored squad has shifted its preparations to a higher gear with less than a year to go before the quadrennial bootfest kicks off.
Separate reports had it that the squad will fly to California for a camp this week and already tapped other call-ups who would beef up the roster.
Several booters like Sarina Bolden, Quinley Quezada and Dominique Randle are currently with their respective mother teams abroad.
The Filipinas are also tipped to see action against Costa Rica and will host a tri-nation tourney with Jamaica and Uzbekistan in November.
The Philippine Football Federation will also have a four-nation showpiece, which might be called Independence Cup next year, to further boost the Filipinas’ preparation months before the World Cup.