Cardiff City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge will only play one game at the 2019 Asian Cup before returning to the Premier League team.
The 28-year-old could have missed up to a month on duty for the Philippines.
But Philippine Football Federation president Maiano Araneta says Etheridge will only play their opener with South Korea on 7 January.
"We know the importance of Neil with Cardiff, so he'll play in the first game and go back," Araneta confirmed.
The Bluebirds will play Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on 1 January, before travelling to face Gillingham in the FA Cup third round on 5 January 5.
Neil Warnock's side then host Huddersfield Town in the league on 12 January.
That means Cardiff are only likely to be without 62-cap Etheridge for the game at Gillingham.
Warnock may even have chosen to rest his first-choice keeper, the first Filipino to play in the Premier League, for the FA Cup game as he juggles his resources with Premier League survival his chief concern.
After facing South Korea, the Philippines - managed by former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson - play China on 11 January 11 and Kyrgyzstan on 16 January in the group stage, with further games to follow if they qualify for the group stage.
The Asian Cup is held once every four years and in 2019 will run from 5 January to 1 February in the United Arab Emirates.
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