Tolentin, Long named to ASEAN Serenity Cup Best XI

Philippine football stars Hali Long and Inday Tolentin have been named to the Best XI of the 2025 ASEAN Women’s Championship – MSIG Serenity Cup, reflecting the growing stature of Filipino women in international football.

Long, the longtime captain and central defender of the Philippine women’s national team, is the most-capped active Filipina footballer with 96 international appearances over nine years.

She has scored 22 international goals, including one in the Serenity Cup group stage against Timor-Leste, where the Filipinas dominated.

The Missouri-born Bulakenya also captains Kaya-Iloilo F.C. and recently went on loan to Thailand’s College of Asian Scholars for the 2025–26 AFC Women’s Asian Champions League qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Tolentin—nicknamed “Inday” and hailed from Zamboanga del Norte—scored twice against Timor-Leste in her second ASEAN Championship appearance and earned Player of the Match honors.

She is also a key player for the Philippine women’s national futsal team, which recently qualified for the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup.

Tolentin scored three international goals during the AFC Futsal Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers and finals, adding to her growing impact across football and futsal formats.

She is a former UAAP and PFF Women’s Cup Most Valuable Player and is currently part of the Filipina 5 futsal training pool for the upcoming World Cup in Pasig and Victorias City this November.

“Congratulations to Captain Hali Long and rising star Inday Tolentin for being part of the Best XI of the ASEAN Women’s Championship,” said Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President John Anthony Gutierrez.

“Hali, with her leadership, tenacity on defense, and consistent scoring ability, helped in lifting the Filipinas from the minnows to playing in the World Cup,” he said.

“Inday is an inspiration for homegrown athletes, making her mark in the collegiate, club, and international level both in football and futsal,” Gutierrez added.

The inclusion of Long and Tolentin in the Best XI underscores the Philippines’ rising prominence in Southeast Asian and global women’s football.