Kaya FC-Iloilo’s All Set to Kickoff 2022 Season Versus Sydney FC Another year, another high-stakes season opener: Iloilo’s path back to the AFC Champions League Group Stage starts in Sydney, Australia.

AFC Champions League | Preliminary Round
Sydney FC vs. Kaya FC–Iloilo
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 | 7:30PM (4:30 PM PST)
Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney

After a four-month wait, Kaya FC-Iloilo’s football calendar is set to kick off with a bang. Coming off a historic year that featured the Filipino club’s breakthrough into the top flight of Asian football, the 2022 campaign begins with an away fixture in the land Down Under.

To return to the AFC Champions League, Kaya had to win two qualifying matches in a row—the first of which is the preliminary round against Australian powerhouse Sydney FC, who are currently in sixth place in the A-League standings.

However, following Changchun Yatai FC’s withdrawal from the competition, Tuesday’s match has been given a whole new meaning now that the victor will be given direct entry into the Group Stage.

For the second season in a row, Iloilo’s continental hopes come down to a single match to determine whether we’ll be playing with the ACL’s Group H in April or with the AFC Cup’s Group G later in June.

The boys certainly rose to the occasion last year—celebrating the club’s twenty-fifth anniversary by besting China’s Shanghai Port FC and gatecrashing the prestigious competition. If we can do it once, who’s to say we can’t do it again.

From repurposed basketball courts in the 90’s to the world-class pitches of the present day, Kaya’s identity and spirit as a club remain the same no matter where they play. One only needs to remember the club’s namesake: “Káya” [We Can].

Getting a taste of the Champions League level last season has made the team even hungrier, dead set on coming back and repeating history. Everyone’s chomping at the bit to put on a show—not only for the fans in Iloilo around the Philippines, but also for the many Filipinos who call Australia home.

“Aside from being able to test ourselves against some of Asia’s best clubs, one of the things we really look forward to when playing in AFC competitions is getting a chance to connect with Filipino communities all over the continent,” said Kaya President and GM Paul Tolentino. “Now that restrictions are starting to loosen up, we’re eager to get back to meeting our countrymen face-to-face.”

To all of our fellow Filipinos currently residing in and around the Sydney area, Kaya FC-Iloilo would like to invite you to come support us at the Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on March 8. For such a big match on enemy grounds, we sure could use every bit of support we can get and we hope to see you there!