More history is beckoning for the Philippine women's national football team when they play one of the traditional powerhouses of women's football in their final Group A game of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 on Sunday.

The Filipinas will take on Norway at the Eden Park in Auckland tomorrow, knowing that a victory over the world No. 12 side will give them a place in the round-of-16 of the global showcase.

That they are even in this situation is already a cause for celebration for a Philippine team that went into New Zealand as a considerable underdog. They had lost to Switzerland, 0-2, in their World Cup debut but then pulled off a sensational upset of the co-hosts last Tuesday when they overcame the Football Ferns, 1-0.

The slim win over New Zealand -- powered by Sarina Bolden's historic goal and a couple of sensational late saves by Olivia McDaniel -- kept alive the Filipinas' hopes of advancing out of Group A.

• Football: Filipinas stun New Zealand for first-ever World Cup win
• With upset of New Zealand, Filipinas deliver another special moment

"It's unbelievable to think that we're in this position. Any neutral person around the world would not have put any money on us to be in this position," Philippines coach Alen Stajcic told reporters on Friday. "To be ahead of Norway on the league table after two matches was almost unheard from any neutral pundit."

Switzerland are on top of Group A with four points from a win and a draw, while New Zealand and the Philippines are tied with three points. Norway, favored to sail out of the group ahead of the World Cup, have underperformed and only have one point to show in two matches; they are also yet to score in the tournament.

But all four teams can still make it to the knockout stage, with Norway needing to find the back of the net multiple times against the Philippines. A draw would suffice for the Filipinas, provided that Switzerland beat New Zealand in the other Group A match.

"We've earned the right to be in this position," Stajcic stressed. "That gives me a lot of belief and confidence."

Sunday's match is a "massive, massive occasion" for the Filipinas, and Stajcic says his team is "really excited" yet keeping a level head about the Norway game. It's a sentiment backed up by defender Jessika Cowart, who joined her coach for the pre-match press conference in Auckland on Saturday afternoon..

"The emotions and vibe of the group have been really good. We're going into this game like we do every game, so we're all excited to play tomorrow," said Cowart.

Their historic win against New Zealand, which brought the team global attention, has not changed the team's mentality at all, says Cowart.

• Back to work for Filipinas after historic win vs. New Zealand

"There's 11 of us, and there's 11 of them and there's a ball and we wanna score and we wanna keep the ball out of our net," she said. "Of course, there's all the other factors outside of football -- the world stage, the players we're playing against, the teams we're playing."

"That's all added pressure but it's what you make of it. It's how you perceive it," she added. "If we go out there and we play the game we love, we know that's all that matters."

The Filipinas will be playing a Norway side that is not at full strength, as star striker Ada Hegerberg was ruled out of the must-win clash due to an injury she sustained during warm-up in their match against Switzerland. There have also been reports of unrest within the Norway camp, with Barcelona star Caroline Graham-Hansen apparently chafing after being removed from the starting lineup against the Swiss.

• Football: Norway's Ada Hegerberg to miss game vs. Filipinas

Stajcic says the issues hounding Norway are no reason for them to let their guards down.

"I have a lot of respect for them. They're former World Cup winners and former Olympic gold medalists so the pedigree within the country and the history of their country in women's football is enormous," he said. "We know the challenge is immense and huge but the World Cup's already produced so many upsets."

Kick off is at 3:00 p.m., Manila time.

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more News on iWantTFC