The Philippine Women’s National Futsal Team is ready to represent the flag at the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers.
This year, the Philippines is hosting a historic event: the inaugural FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup. It is a huge honor for the country to be selected to put on this event, a first of its kind, where 16 countries will be battling for the first-ever Women’s Futsal World Cup title.
As the hosts, the Philippine Women’s National Futsal Team has a guaranteed spot in the competition. However, they will still be competing in the upcoming AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers, and while it may be considered ‘non-bearing’ for the team, they are still keeping their eye on the ball.
In fact, the players even spent a good portion of the holiday season prepping for the competition.
“I’d like to thank first the sacrifice that these women have made, training through the holiday season. Again, being Filipinos, it’s no small thing for us to spend time away from the family during the holidays,” Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President John Gutierrez said in a send-off press conference earlier today. “The sacrifices that are made, we are hoping will translate into wins or performances that would make the country proud.”
On the afternoon of Tuesday, January 7, just a few hours before the Women’s Futsal Team was set to fly out to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the PFF official unveiled the 14-woman roster who will be competing in the Asian Cup Qualifiers.
The roster includes: Sheen Borres, Shelah Mae Cadag, Sara Castañeda, Judy Connolly, Alisha Del Campo, Isabella Flanigan, Cathrine Graversen, Katrina Guillou, Samantha Hughes, Rocelle Mendaño, Vrendelle Nuera, Regine Rebosora, Kayla Santiago, and Dionesa Tolentin.
These players were selected at the recent talent identification camp, which was held from December 26 to 30, 2024 in Manila.
In addition to the roster, the PFF also officially introduced the team’s new head coach, Rafa Merino Rodriguez. The recently appointed coach holds a UEFA Pro License (Level 3) and an FA Level 1 in Football (England). He also has experience managing various first-division futsal clubs in Spain. “We’re in good hands,” said Gutierrez.
“I look forward to working with these players to build a competitive, unified squad ready to excel in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. We are focused on achieving success in the upcoming tournament,” said Coach Rodriguez.
Setting the standard for success
It is no secret that this team, along with the coaching staff, was put together on short notice. Altogether, they began their training for the upcoming AFC Qualifiers on January 2. But even so, the spirits of the team remain high, as well as the expectations.
“There’s a good ambiance in the team, the vibe is very good. We all work for each other and do the same,” Coach Rodriguez said in Spanish during a press conference earlier today.
The Philippine Women’s Team will be competing in Group C of the Futsal Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers, which also includes Kuwait, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Australia.
As the Philippines heads into the competition as the third seed, the PFF has high expectations for the team. “Not to put pressure or any more weight on the girls and the coaching staff,” Gutierrez preluded, “We expect to win that group. We expect to qualify for the AFC Championship in China.”
The standard has been set high, though thankfully, despite the small window of preparation, the squad has valuable experience that they can bank on.
In 2024, the Philippines also hosted the AFF Women’s Futsal Championship, where the Philippine team only managed one draw and three losses across four matches.
“The AFF tournament was a very important hosting for us because we did not just identify the challenges of hosting an international event. We also identified the aspects of which we can improve on. So, we will learn from that,” Gutierrez added.
“We did learn from that. And hopefully, what we learned, we can apply in the AFC qualifiers. So, these are all necessary, shall we say, trials for us to get to the level that we want to be in. And the level we want to be in is one of the best in the world. So, as unfavorable as the results were of AFF, we learned a lot from that tournament. And again, what we learned, we will apply going into the AFC qualifiers and hopefully, into the AFC championships.”
As the Philippine Women’s National Futsal Team gears up for the AFC Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers, and as the PFF also prepares for its historic hosting of the first-ever Women’s Futsal World Cup, the nation is entering yet another chapter in their football history, and the players are excited to be a part of such a momentous event.
Katrina Guillou and Isabella Flanigan, who were both part of the historic Philippine Women’s National Football Team that competed in the last FIFA Women’s World Cup expressed their excitement for what’s to come.
“What it comes down to is I just enjoy the sport, whether it’s futsal, football, it’s always been something that I’ve grown up playing, and being given this opportunity from PFF and the coaching staff, I truly honored it and I’m lucky enough to play with these girls that sit in front of me right now and I can’t wait to go to the tournament,” said Guillou.
Flanigan echoed this sentiment. “I think any chance to represent the Philippines also, I want to try and do my best, and to be able to do something I love and have that opportunity is just amazing.”
The Philippine Women’s National Futsal Team will begin their journey in the Qualifiers with their first match against Kuwait on January 11, Saturday, at 9:00 PM (Philippine time).
From there, they will face Uzbekistan on the 13th, Turkmenistan on the 15th, and Australia on the 19th. The top two teams of each group, as well as the best third-placed team across the four groups, will advance to the final of the tournament.
Images courtesy of the Philippine Football Federation.