Alen Stajcic is returning to Philippine football in a surprising new role, three years after leading the country on their historic journey to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Australian head coach has been appointed to take charge of the Philippines Under-17 women’s team for next month’s AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers in Uzbekistan.
Stajcic will lead the U17s against hosts Uzbekistan and Bangladesh in qualifying, with the group winner advancing to the 2027 AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup in China.
“He has come to help us. His heart has always been for us,” U17 team manager Selu Lozano said.
It marks a return to familiar territory for former Matildas boss Stajcic, who transformed the senior Filipinas after taking charge in 2021.
He guided the Philippines to their first Women’s World Cup qualification before overseeing their tournament debut in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, where they recorded a famous 1-0 victory over co-host the Football Ferns.
Stajcic departed following the World Cup and eventually returned to the A-Leagues, most recently coaching Western Sydney Wanderers last season before leaving the club in January amid their forgettable 2025-26 campaign.
Now the ex-Perth Glory coach is back in the Philippines setup, this time helping develop their next generation.
There remains a strong Australian connection across the Philippines women’s program, with Stajcic’s countryman and successor Mark Torcaso currently in charge of the senior national team.
Torcaso is the longest serving Filipinas head coach and he has already secured their place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The highly-rated Aussie, who has unearthed the most debutants and young players into the senior squad, has also delivered an historic SEA Games gold medal.
On Torcaso’s watch, the Philippines have reached their highest ever FIFA ranking to go with the country’s best performance at the Asian Games – two quarter-finals.