PHL women’s football team kicks off FIFA World Cup preparations

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Philippine Women’s National Football team (PWNFT) is finally back in business and already started its preparations for the upcoming 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Head coach Alen Stajcic and the rest of the Filipina booters are currently in Irvine, California where they set up an intensive training camp.

Aside from the buildup of the FIFA World Cup, the PWNFT is also preparing for a tune-up game against no. 22 ranked football nation New Zealand.

The match will be held at the Cal State Fullerton Titan Stadium on September 6, 2022 (September 7, Philippine time).

“We’ve been looking forward to this camp after a memorable and unforgettable AFF campaign. The match against New Zealand ranked No. 22 in the world will provide stern competition and build on the experience we have in the team,” said Stajcic.

Previously, the Filipinas were hailed as the queens of the AFF Championship Cup after a masterclass against Thailand, 3-0, during the grand finals.

It was also a historic outing for the PWNFT after notching its first-ever AFF championship title in front of their home fans at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

After their AFF Cup campaign, the Filipinas took a much-needed vacation with their families and will now buckle down to work.

“Overseas camps and arranging matches are always challenging. But this is something that needs to be done for the team’s improvement. Our journey requires sacrifice from the players and the staff and the cooperation of everyone involved in our organization,” said PWNFT’s manager Jefferson Cheng.