What to know about Philippines National Team at the FIFA Women's World Cup in New Zealand
Courtesy of ABS CBN News
Olympic lifter Hildilyn Diaz winning gold, Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra being the first Filipino coach to win an NBA championship, and Manny Pacquiao having eight titles under his belt, time and time again Filipinos have made their way to the biggest stages in all of sports and have delivered. I love our country and how the Philippines has been knocking on doors and making their way onto the champions podium, showcasing untapped talent that the world isn’t ready for. Yet again, we are back with another huge milestone, the debut of the Manila Sun on the soccer world stage, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). Let’s take a look at what you need to know about the Philippines National Women’s Team heading to the 2023 FIFA World Cup.
What: Held every 4 years and considered the most prestigious tournament in the world of soccer, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The 2023 contest will be the first time the tournament will be using a 32 team format in comparison to the previous 24 team field. The tournament begins with 8 round-robin groups followed by a 16 team knockout stage.
Courtesy of ABS CBN News
How: Qualifying to participate in a global event, especially possibly the biggest sport in the world, Soccer, is no easy task. During the 2022 AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Women’s Cup, the Philippines found themselves in a make it or break it situation, in a grueling 90 minute battle against Chinese Taipei resulting in a draw and forcing penalty kicks to determine who would make it to the semi-finals and secure the last slot for the FIFA World Cup. The Philippines left it all on the line during that shoot out, beating out Chinese Taipei 4-3, making them the first appearance in a global football event (Men’s or Women’s).
When & Where: From July 20th - August 20th, host countries Australia and New Zealand will invite 30 countries from all over the world to compete in 9 cities across their respective countries. There will be 10 venues holding matches from 9 different cities, From Australia: Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, and from New Zealand: Auckland, Dunedin, Hamilton, and Wellington.
Who: The 32 countries will be divided into 8 groups to start the round-robin stage.
Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
Group B: Australia, Republic of Ireland, Nigeria, Canada
Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan
Group D: England, Denmark, China, Haiti
Group E: United States, Vietnam, Portugal, Netherlands
Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Panama
Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
Group H: Germany, Morocco, Columbia, South Korea
3 important Philippine National team members to highlight are coach Alen Stajcic who helped reshaped this team to qualify them to their first world cup appearance, 25-year-old Olivia McDaniel, the hero during the Chinese Taipei shoot-out, saving 2 goals to keep the Chinese Taipei to 3 goals, and midfielder Anicka Castenada, the only Filipino born member on the 23 woman roster.
Courtesy of ABS CBN News
Why: It goes without saying, each team desires to showcase their talent, carrying their nation's pride on their backs as they go through the rigorous FIFA tournament but in addition to taking home the gold, there is a total prize pool amounting to $110 million dollars, awarding the winning $10.5 million to take home with smaller / varying amounts to the lower ranking teams. More importantly, the “why” for the Philippines is not only to enjoy its first debut for a world soccer event but even more than that, this could possibly be the first gold to be brought home in any sport for any globalized tournament to the nation of the Philippines. This 2023 FIFA World Cup could mark the moment that the Philippines begins its ascent in national team sporting events, this could be the beginning of something big for Filipinos all over the world.
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