PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez and FIFA Council Member and former PFF President Mariano V. Araneta join the global football community in celebrating the 10th anniversary of Gianni Infantino’s leadership of FIFA.
Since assuming office in 2016, President Infantino has ushered in an era of unprecedented growth, inclusivity, and development that has fundamentally reshaped the landscape of the “beautiful game” in the Philippines, generously supporting both the administration of former PFF President Araneta and the current leadership of PFF President Gutierrez.
Under Infantino’s visionary direction, the Philippines has evolved from an emerging football nation into a trusted global host. A crowning achievement was FIFA’s decision to award the hosting rights of the inaugural FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup to the Philippines in 2025. This landmark moment reflected deep confidence in the Filipino people and reaffirmed the country’s status as a rising hub of global sports tourism and futsal development.
“President Infantino’s trust in our nation to host the first-ever Women’s Futsal World Cup was a watershed moment for us,” said PFF President Gutierrez. “It proved that FIFA views the Philippines as a leader capable of organizing world-class events. His generous assistance throughout the hosting process underscored a deep belief in the capability of Filipino football leaders and our passionate community.”
Former PFF President and FIFA Council Member Araneta also reflected on the decade of collaboration. “President Infantino has been a true partner for Asian football and for the Philippines in particular.” He added, “His commitment to equal opportunity and global growth empowered nations like ours to accelerate football development.”
The Infantino era has also been defined by a tangible commitment to “The FIFA Forward” program, which has modernized Philippine football infrastructure. Key milestones include:
- World-Class Facilities: The establishment of the first-ever FIFA Arena in Balanga, Bataan, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to grassroots development, which will start a roll out of at least 20 world class pitches nationwide for 2026.
- A New Home for Football: The construction of the five-story PFF National Headquarters and the PFF Training Center in Carmona, Cavite, providing a permanent, high-performance base for our national teams.
- Modernization of Governance and Honing of Football Professionals: Through game-changing coaching/technical trainings, grassroots development assistance, capacity-building in producing football professionals, and helping PFF in modernizing football governance.
“Behind the resurgence of our national teams with historic performances in the past years, it is the bricks and mortar—modern facilities, modernization of governance, and grassroots development support—that will define our future,” Gutierrez added. “President Infantino understands that for football to truly be global, every member association must have the tools to professionalize and grow. We are now better equipped than ever to nurture the next generation of talent.”
Furthermore, President Infantino’s decision to expand the FIFA Women’s World Cup from 24 teams in 2019 to 32 in 2023 sparked a women’s football Renaissance not only in the country, but throughout the world. This expansion and strengthening of women empowerment in football helped pave the way for the Filipinas’ historic 2023 debut, where their inspiring performance on the world stage ignited a national fervor for the sport.
As we look toward the next decade, PFF remains committed to the goal of President Infantino of making football truly global. We congratulate Gianni Infantino on ten years of transformative service and thank him for his unwavering support of the Filipino footballing dream.
