the head coach position for the women's national team was vacant after its previous holder, Ernie Nierras, was not an A license coach, meaning he was not able to continue his coaching stint. Nierras led the team in his last competitive match as coach in 2013. The PFF announced in April 2015 that former footballer Buda Bautista was appointed as head coach and was first tasked to lead the team at the 2015 AFF Women's Championship. Bautista also became the first female coach of the national team. The Malditas failed to get past the group stage of the 2015 AFF Women's Championship, only winning a game against Malaysia and losing the other two matches. Under Bautista, the Philippines qualified for the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup in Jordan, the first time the national team qualified for the AFC Women's Asian Cup since a qualification phase was introduced starting from the 2006 competition; prior to the inception of qualifications, the Philippines had participated in every iteration of the tournament except for three, failing to reach the knockout stages in each participation. The team finished second in their group in the qualifiers, in which each of the group's winners qualify for the Asian Cup. Jordan won the group, but since it had already qualified as hosts of the 2018 edition of the tournament, the virtue of qualification went to the group's runners-up. In 2017, the PFF launched the "Project Jordan" task force to help the Malditas qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup through the 2018 Asian Cup. The PFF secured major sponsorship and hired United States-based English coach, Richard Boon; an identification camp was held in the United States participated by national team players and prospects. A three-month training camp in the United States was later set up in late December 2017. In March 2018, Boon was replaced by French coach Rabah Benlarbi as the national team held a camp at the PFF National Training Centre in Carmona, Cavite. The national team held their last camp under "Project Jordan" in Japan from March 20 to 27, 2018. At the 2018 Asian Cup, the Philippines failed to reach the knockout stage leading to the championship, by which doing so would have resulted in automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup. However, by finishing third in their group, the Malditas qualified for a special fifth place match, of which the winner qualifies