“We gather not only to celebrate victories, but to honor the spirit of Philippine football: A spirit that is alive, determined, and moving forward–sama-sama–in the right direction. Three victories are not accidents. They are signs of intentional progress,” emphasized PFF President John Gutierrez.
The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and various football stakeholders and supporters gathered on Saturday in Studio 300 in Makati to celebrate the recent achievements of three national football teams — the women, U23 men, and U16 boys.
The event was also a send-off for the Filipinas, who will fly tomorrow to Hanoi, for their title defense in the upcoming 2025 ASEAN Women’s Championship MSIG Serenity Cup.
The trifecta of milestones, all achieved last July, marked significant progress for Philippine football.
It began with the return of the Filipinas to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, sweeping the qualification Group G from June 29 to July 5 with clean sheet wins against Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, and Hong Kong.
“I’m super proud of everybody for representing the country. As for the girls, I’m super excited that we get this opportunity to defend our cup. I know it’s not going to be easy, but I know, speaking for everybody, that we are ready to fight and globally take on the world,” said Filipinas midfielder Bella Pasion.
The Philippine U16 boys’ national team followed by winning its first international trophy, winning the prestigious Lion City Cup in Singapore from July 9-13.
The team, composed of veterans from last year’s squad and the core of the NCRFA team that won the Thailand Youth Cup last June, had a remarkable undefeated campaign against quality opposition, with wins against Singapore U16 and Cambodia U16 and a draw against Hong Kong U16.
“This is the first time in our history that an official Philippine national team — youth national team at that — has won an international tournament. You can take your seats up. You carried our flag with pride, played with courage, showed maturity in the face of criticism, and showed the heart of a true Filipino athlete,” Gutierrez remarked.
Lastly, the Philippine U23 men’s national team opened its 2025 campaign by making the semifinals of the 2025 ASEAN U23 Championship Mandiri Cup–its first in team history.
With convincing wins against last year’s semifinalist Malaysia and Brunei, the Philippines U23 scored in all but one game in the tournament.
In addition, forward Otu Banatao had a brilliant U23 debut with three tournament goals and was given the Mandiri Cup Rising Star award.
“Across that journey, they displayed the passion and the attitude that I’ve come to learn as a part and parcel of the Filipino culture. And that really carried them through… I think they showed that at those levels, that attitude carries you a long way,” said U23 head coach Garrath McPherson.
The three national teams will have a busy schedule for the remainder of 2025.
The Filipinas will aim to defend its 2022 ASEAN title starting on August 7, with group stage games against Timor-Leste, Australia U23, and Myanmar. They will also compete and vie for another medal in the 2025 Thailand Southeast Asian Games in December.
The U16 boys team, meanwhile, will compete in November for the 2026 AFC U16 Asian Cup qualifiers from November 22 to 30.
The U23 men’s team will play in two important tournaments, starting on September 3 in Group K of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Tajikistan. They will face Arab Games
silver medalist Syria U23, host Tajikistan U23, and two-time South Asian Games gold medalist Nepal U23.
The U23 team will also represent the Philippines in the men’s tournament of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.
“We are in an exciting chapter of our football story. We have tasted victory, we have seen what is possible, and we know we can achieve more. Let us dream bigger, let us work harder, let us keep believing in each other in the spirit of sama-sama,” Gutierrez said.
Apart from the July milestones, PFF also commended the Philippine national women’s futsal team for its historic Asian Cup debut last May and the Philippine men’s national football team’s current undefeated campaign in the ongoing 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
All these are testaments to PFF’s ongoing efforts to align its football program across all national teams, meticulously honing the best football players, coaches, and officials from grassroots and from abroad.
