GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The official FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup (FFWWC) mascot Diwa visited the 2025 Philippine Youth Games – Batang Pinoy in General Santos City, South Cotabato, to promote the inaugural World Cup for women’s futsal at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City from November 21 to December 7.
Batang Pinoy is the premier youth multi-sport competition in the Philippines held annually and organized by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). It is participated by young athletes, whether student or out-of-school, aged 18 and below.
Welcoming Diwa were PSC chair Pato Gregorio, PSC Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy, Sultan Kudarat Football Association General Secretary Atty. Gamayel Gampong, and General Santos City Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao.
“We thank the PSC, led by Chair Pato and Atty. Iroy, for their generous help as partners in developing the sport of futsal among grassroots youth,” said Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President John Anthony Gutierrez.
Futsal for boys and girls is included in the Batang Pinoy competitions, signifying PSC’s commitment in developing and popularizing the sport, given its wider accessibility among youth regardless of socioeconomic class.
Diwa was one of the spectators in the Batang Pinoy futsal tournament on October 31, held at the Mindanao Polytechnic College here, joining the entrance march of the U15 girls futsal quarterfinals.
Incredibly, the Batang Pinoy futsal competitions were won by four cities from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, signifying the wide range of futsal talents in the Philippines.
The 2025 Batang Pinoy futsal gold medalists are as follows:
- U17 Boys’ Futsal – Davao City
- U17 Girls’ Futsal – San Carlos City, Negros Occidental
- U15 Boys’ Futsal – Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental
- U15 Girls’ Futsal – Olongapo City
The presence of Diwa in this year’s games does not only provide entertainment for the youth athletes competing, but an affirmation that FIFA is embracing the growth of futsal in every area of the Philippines.
“Futsal is truly on the rise in the Philippines as shown in Batang Pinoy. With this, we look forward for a meaningful FFWWC next month and, more importantly, the legacy the World Cup will leave–futsal being among the more popular and widely-played sports in our country,” President Gutierrez concluded.
