PFF sends Filipinas, Filipina5 and U22 to SEA Games

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) will send three national squads to compete in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this month.

According to PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez, the teams are “primed and ready” for competition in Thailand.

The campaign features the Philippine men’s under-22 national football team (PMNFT U22), the Philippine women’s national football team known as the Filipinas, and the national women’s futsal squad, the Filipina5.

The SEA Games is Southeast Asia’s flagship multi-sport event, and football and futsal remain among its most closely followed tournaments.

PMNFT U22: chasing a breakthrough

The PMNFT U22 enters the Thailand SEA Games on the back of significant progress over the past two years.

With Cambodia’s withdrawal from the men’s football competition, the groupings were reconfigured, placing PMNFT U22 in Group C alongside Myanmar and reigning gold medalist Indonesia.

All PMNFT U22 matches will be played at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai, located 700 kilometers north of Bangkok.

The U22 side struggled in the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, earning only a point after a 1–1 draw with the hosts while suffering defeats to Indonesia (0–3), Myanmar (0–1), and Timor-Leste (0–3).

Since then, however, the team has shown marked improvement in regional and Asian competition.

In July, the squad reached the semifinals of the ASEAN U23 Championships–Mandiri Cup for the first time in history, losing by only a single goal (0–1) to Indonesia in the group stage and eventually placing fourth overall.

Another milestone followed in September, when the Philippines finished second in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, missing out on qualification by just one goal behind Syria (1–2).

The team claimed a landmark win over Tajikistan (1–0) and a dominant victory against Nepal (4–0) in that qualifying campaign.

Gutierrez expressed confidence in the squad led by Spanish coach Michael Martinez Alvarez and in the depth built over the last year.

He noted the commitments of senior squad stalwarts Sandro Reyes, Santi Rublico, Javier Mariona, and Alex Monis, and the addition of Dylan DeMuynck, Stavros Charalampous, and Nico McMillan to beef up U22 mainstays Otu Banatao, Nic Guimaraes, Noah Leddel, John Lucero, Gavin Muens, and Dov Cariño.

“As for the national Under-22 team, I believe we have an even stronger squad than the one in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers,” President Gutierrez said.

Filipinas: full-strength and aiming for redemption

The Filipinas return to a familiar battlefield, having been drawn once again with Vietnam, Myanmar, and Malaysia, replicating their 2023 SEA Games grouping.

After winning bronze in 2021, the Filipinas narrowly missed the knockout stage in 2023 due to an inferior goal difference despite a triple tie with Myanmar and Vietnam.

“We have a strong national women’s football team in the Filipinas,” Gutierrez said, as he explained that apart from the absence of Katrina Guillou, who was not released by her club, the SEA Games roster is virtually identical to the group that competed in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, which the Filipinas won with three wins and zero goals conceded.

Those in the new Adidas kit unveiled recently—Inna Palacios, Meryll Serrano, Chandler McDaniel, and captain Hali Long—are joined by first-choice goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel and defender Angela Beard, both World Cup veterans.

Under coach Mark Torcaso, the Filipinas aim to replicate their famous win against Vietnam, overturn their narrow 0–1 loss to Myanmar, and post a decisive result against Malaysia to advance to the semifinals.

They begin their campaign against Myanmar at the Institute of Physical Education Chonburi Campus Stadium, with all women’s football matches taking place in Chonburi.

Filipina5: World Cup momentum into SEA Games return

Fresh from a historic campaign in the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, the Filipina5 are set for their first SEA Games appearance since 2011.

In the World Cup, the team scored three goals—two against African champions Morocco and one versus South American powerhouse Argentina—marking significant progress on the global stage.

Their rise continues with a maiden qualification to the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup, where they pushed two-time champions Iran in a narrow 0–1 loss and scored three goals against Hong Kong.

The Filipina5 also netted goals against continental champions Japan (AFC) and Spain (UEFA) in pre-World Cup friendlies, underlining their growing attacking confidence.

Gutierrez highlighted the leadership and talent within the futsal group as a key strength heading into the SEA Games.

Leading the squad are Women’s World Cup veteran Isabella Flanigan, co-skipper Dionesa Tolentin, versatile playmaker Judy Connolly, veteran leader Isabella Bandoja, and goalkeepers Samantha Hughes and Kayla Santiago.

The team, coached by Spanish tactician Rafa Merino, will compete in Group A alongside world number four and five-time SEA Games champion Thailand, and 2023 bronze medalist Malaysia.

The top two teams in the group will progress to the semifinals of the women’s futsal tournament.

The Filipina5 open their campaign against hosts Thailand in Samut Prakan, followed by a crucial match against Malaysia.

With their newfound international experience, the squad aims to match or even surpass the Philippine women’s futsal bronze medal achievement of 2007.

2025 Southeast Asian Games schedule of Philippine football and futsal national teams

(All times in Philippine Standard Time.)

December 5 – Filipinas vs Myanmar, SEA Games Women’s Football, Chonburi, 5:00 PM.

December 5 – PMNFT U22 vs Myanmar, SEA Games Men’s Football, Chiang Mai, 7:00 PM.

December 8 – PMNFT U22 vs Indonesia, SEA Games Men’s Football, Chiang Mai, 7:00 PM.

December 8 – Filipinas vs Vietnam, SEA Games Women’s Football, Chonburi, 7:30 PM.

December 11 – Filipinas vs Malaysia, SEA Games Women’s Football, Chonburi, 5:00 PM.

December 12 – Filipina5 vs Thailand, SEA Games Women’s Futsal, Samut Prakan, 5:30 PM.

December 13 – Filipina5 vs Malaysia, SEA Games Women’s Futsal, Samut Prakan, 5:30 PM. (PFF)