Philippines reaches best-ever FIFA ranking for women

The Philippines continues its ascent in the latest FIFA rankings for women's football, with the results being unveiled on Friday.

The country moved up four spots to 49th overall after playing five matches, winning two friendlies against Papua New Guinea in Australia, as well as their participating in the Pinatar Cup in Spain.

With a total of 1496.23, it was an increase of 10.73 from the last edition back in December. The total is just 7.21 points behind Paraguay. It puts the side in ninth in the region and fifth in the AFF.

In a brief statement, the Philippine Football Federation says.

The Philippine Football Federation is proud of the achievement of the Philippine Women’s National Team, which recorded its highest FIFA ranking of No. 49 earlier today 24 March 2023.

It is a historic achievement that underlines the importance of collaboration between the PFF, team management and coaching staff, and the dedication, discipline and sacrifice of the players.

Indeed, the rise of the Filipinas shows that belief, professionalism, structure, organization and technical knowledge and commitment of players can lead us into the right direction.

We thank team manager Jefferson Cheng for his support to the team, and for joining hands with the federation to ensure that planned directions of the team are pursued with vigor. We also acknowledge the efforts of coach Alen Stajcic, and the Filipino coaches that come before him, in steering the team to great heights. Most of all, we are grateful for our national team players who, time and again, have shown their love for our country by representing the Philippines with pride and honor each time they step into the pitch. Indeed, plenty of the work is done behind the scenes – at planning sessions, in camps, and days and hours before matches – and we thank those who have quietly sacrificed their time and effort to ensure that the team continues its progress.

We hope that the rest of the country, specially the sporting youth, takes inspiration from the Filipinas and their achievements. These are exciting times and the PFF prays that the Filipino nation continue supporting the Filipinas at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July 2023.

When asked about his thoughts, head coach Alen Stajcic shares, "Another amazing milestone for the Team on this journey to the World Cup. Another record for the country and further objective confirmation that we are heading in the right direction."