Trophy for FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup revealed

The FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup trophy

As the draw for the inaugural edition of the FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup creeps closer, FIFA on Friday revealed the trophy that sixteen nations will be going after for in the Philippines.

The global football entity crafted the design in-house, the trophy, according to them, "encapsulates the energy, precision and creativity of the women’s game." It is set to inspire players and fans alike as it set to take place starting late November.

Taking certain elements from its male counterpart, but it is to have its own personal identity. This piece "embodies the essence of futsal, a high-speed, skill-focused sport." It features two converging bars in gold and silver, symbolizing unity and competition, on a stylised futsal pitch. The curves echo the dynamic flow of the game, underscoring the technical finesse, ball control and teamwork that define elite futsal.

The upcoming ceremony will be the first chance the world will be able to actually see the trophy, which is scheduled to take place inside Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, with the program scheduled to commence at 5pm local time and will be streamed through FIFA.com, as well as through its app, FIFA+.

Hosted by sports presenter Mara Aquino, FIFA representatives, sporting legends, and dignitaries will be around for the proceedings, which will see the teams split into four groups.

All sixteen teams have been allocated into four pots based the latest FIFA Futsal Women's World Rankings released back in late August, save for the Philippines, who has been already slotted into Pot 1 as hosts.

Joining the Filipina5 in the Pot are perceived favorites Brazil, Spain, and Portugal.

Asian contenders Thailand and Japan lead Pot 2, alongside Argentina and Italy.

Meanwhile in Pot 3, Iran will be fielding their first women's team at this level of competition, with Colombia, Poland, and New Zealand.

Completing the field in Pot 4 are Morocco, Canada, Panama, and Tanzania, whose team here will the first time any of their senior sides have reached at this high in the world stage.

Pot 1 teams will be drawn first, with the Philippines automatically designated into Group A as A1. Subsequent teams will then be selected and allocated into the three remaining groups, before restarting the process in the next pot, until all teams have been selected.

FIFA prefers to have as much as possible a diverse group, so it will ensure that no team from the same confederation will be in each group.

The FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup will take place at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City, starting on November 21 and ending on December 7, and fans can already pre-register their interest in securing tickets through FIFA.com/tickets.

Pasig, Victorias named as FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup Philippines 2025 host cities

The two host cities of the FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup Philippines 2025

It was announced on Friday that two cities will be the venues for the upcoming FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup Philippines 2025™.

The cities of Pasig in the National Capital Region, and Victorias in Negros Occidental will serve as the Host Cities for the inaugural edition of the competition, set to take place in late November, as revealed by FIFA and the tournament's Local Organizing Committee.

Philippine Football Federation president John Anthony Gutierrez shares, "We are extremely proud of this milestone and we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the local governments of Pasig City and Victorias City for their invaluable support in providing a truly unforgettable experience for the participating teams, the fans and the Filipino community."

On FIFA's end, Director of Tournaments Jaime Yarza says, "We are confident that, in collaboration with both Host Cities, we will deliver a tournament that meets the highest standards in terms of facilities and services and offers the players and fans a top-class experience."

Yarza also adds, "We also aim to leave a tangible legacy within the Philippines, improving the futsal infrastructure in the country – starting in these two cities – and encouraging new players to take up the game."

FIFA representatives made visits to both cities in recent months, checking on the infrastructure, accessibility, and accomodation capacity. With both cities having a track record for successfully hosting both sports and cultural events, making it ideal to host this groundbreaking endeavor.

In addition, the existence of active grassroots programmes in the area proved to be a key element in the selection process, which is in line with FIFA's long-term goals for the development of futsal and the promotion of women's football.

As noted by FIFA Chief Women's Football Officer Dame Sarai Bareman, "World Cups are among the most powerful forces we have to grow our sport, and the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup is another exciting step in that journey. It’s a chance to inspire more girls and women around the world to play futsal."

Competition is set to commence on November 21, with the inaugural champion to be crowned on December 7. The sixteen-team field has already been formalized with the conclusion of the qualifying rounds, with these countries joining the Philippines in the affair: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, IR Iran, Italy, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Tanzania and Thailand.

Philippine preparations for the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025 hosting have commenced

L-R:  FIFA Futsal Manager Laura Cuscó, Director FIFA Tournaments Jaime Yarza, Philippine Football Federation President John Anthony Gutierrez, FIFA Head of Olympics and Futsal and Beach Soccer Kasra Haghighi

The preparations for the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025™️ to be held in the Philippines have begun! The FIFA Tournament Team was in Manila during the second week of June to meet with the Philippine Football Federation and lay the groundwork.

 The Philippines was chosen as the host nation of the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup last May 15, 2024. The announcement was made at the 74th FIFA Congress that was held in Bangkok, Thailand.

FIFA Director of Tournaments Jaime Yarza disclosed on Friday that the Philippines "is one of the top contenders" in hosting the Futsal Women's World Cup. 

According to Yarza, the other countries that had submitted their bid were Brazil, Spain, and Italy. 

The Philippines' hosting rights were "based mostly about the exceptional work done by the Philippine Football Federation to promote football and futsal and the growing tendency of Filipino girls and kids to play futsal, which I would say were the key elements of giving it to the Philippines," Yarza explained on Friday's presscon organized by PFF. 

"So, in the bidding process, the Philippines came on top of these six to seven nations bidding for the tournament," Yarza added. 

 The Philippines automatically has a slot as the host country. The remaining 15 slots will be filled by three countries each from the member-associations of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the South American Football Confederation CONMEBOL; two countries each from the member-associations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf); one country from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC); and four countries from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

 According to the FIFA website, the proposed format will have the 16 teams drawn into groups of four. The two in each group will reach the knock-out phase, in which quarter-finals, semi-finals, a third place play-off and final will ensue.

 Director of FIFA Tournaments Jaime Yarza; FIFA’s Head of Olympics, Futsal and Beach Soccer Kasra Haghighi and Futsal Manager Laura Cuscó met with PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez, General Secretary Angelico Mercader and the PFF team to discuss initial preparations for the inaugural event. They also visited and inspected potential venues. 

 “We need to spread the word that FIFA has trusted us to hold one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world,” said PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez. “This is going to be the first FIFA Women's Futsal World Cup. The men have been successfully doing it for the past 35 years."

 The PFF has invested in all forms of women’s football, including futsal, and has yielded results with the Philippine National Women’s Football Team, the “Filipinas”, qualifying for the country’s first ever FIFA World Cup berth at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™️. Since 2022, the PFF has worked on the development of all forms of the women’s game, and organized and hosted a series of local international women’s futsal tournaments to build on the popularity of the modality of futsal among girls in local public schools and communities.  

 With the help of the Philippine government and the private sector, FIFA and the PFF envision the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2025 to not only boost the popularity of football and futsal in the country. 

“While other teams, other women are dreaming of an opportunity to play in a World Cup, the Philippines had already been listed as a participant. We are the first team to qualify," Gutierrez underscored. 

"This is no small achievement. We are where other women around the world are dreaming of. We have to take advantage of this. We are again given a magnificent opportunity to showcase Filipina talent around the world. We have to spread the word," Gutierrez emphasized. 

The PFF will soon be launching a Road to World Cup campaign to promote futsal across the country. A highlight of this initiative is a national futsal tournament from which potential women’s futsal national team players will be identified.

“We will enjoin the entire country to be part of this momentous and once-in-a-lifetime event. We will promote futsal in schools and communities as this will help us develop our football nationwide. Equally important, we want to discover and hone local talents that can represent our country as members of the national team, who will be a source of pride not just for their respective regions but for the entire country as well,” added Gutierrez.

Lastly, Gutierrez assured that "all Filipinas around the world will be given a chance" to play for the national futsal team.

"It will be a mix of Filipinos who play the game," Gutierrez said on the possible team composition. "But I would like to stress that everyone will be given the same chance and I encourage our locally-developed players to step up and show the world what the Philippine program and way of playing futsal can do."

FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy set for Philippines visit

The FIFA Women's World Cup trophy

The Philippines will be one of the countries that will be a part of the biggest-ever FIFA Women's World Cup Trophy Tour.

Slated for March 1-2, the trophy makes its way to the country for the first time, appropriately with the Senior Women's National Team making its tournament debut later this year in New Zealand.

A public viewing is scheduled for the 1st of March, with the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati serving as the host venue from 3-6pm. A variety of activities are planned at that time to help celebrate the women's game, including mini-games, as well as the chance to have a photo with the trophy.

The Philippine Football Federation believes that having the trophy around will help boost the campaign of our Filipinas, as they continue their preparations towards an instant impact in the WWC.

"We are delighted to welcome the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy in Manila as the excitement
continues to build up for the Filipinas' debut in the most prestigious women’s football tournament in
the world. We invite all football fans and stakeholders to come and visit the trophy when it arrives here to see women's football’s biggest prize," shares PFF president Mariano Araneta.

PFF general secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes adds, "We hope that the upcoming trophy tour would inspire Filipino football fans and players, particularly young women’s players nationwide. It is a unique moment for everyone to see the trophy which is only seen during the official draw and the final match of the Women’s World Cup."

Qatar-Ecuador to open 2022 FIFA World Cup

 

The 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup us set to begin early Monday at midnight, with the matchup between Qatar and Ecuador set to open things at the Al Bayt Stadium.

50th in the world, the hosts had intense preparations in the run-up to their upcoming debut in the biggest football competition in the world, including a run to the semifinals of the FIFA Arab Cup last year.

Relying on the likes of Ali Almoez, Mohammed Muntari, Abdulaziz Hatem, Boualem Khouki, and Saad El Sheeb, the Maroon have won six of nine matches under the stewardship of Felix Sanchez Bas' since September. They also aim to not join South Africa as host countries who missed out on the next round.

As for Ecuador, they earned a spot in the tournament for the first time in eight years by securing the last automatic guaranteed bid for CONMEBOL, but not without scrutiny.

The nation had fielded Byron Castillo in qualifying, where they finished with seven victories in eighteen matches. However, the Club Leon defender became the subject of complaints from Chile and Peru due to eligibility issues. The Court of Arbitration for Sport did side with Ecuador, but the nation's football federation opted to leave him out of the final pool to prevent any complications.

Only one player was on the squad in Alex Dominguez the last time they played in the World Cup in 2014, but the next generation of El Tri footballers have stepped up under Gustavo Alfaro's coaching, led by Brighton teammates Moises Caicedo and Pervis Estupiñan. Enner Valencia of Fenerbahce and Gonzalo Plata of Valladolid also providing offense.

Both teams are seeking to get an early advantage in Group A, with African champions Senegal bucking the absence of their top man Sadio Mane and early group favorites the Netherlands completing the group.

Preceding the match is the opening ceremonies, which will feature Jungkook of BTS as one of the myriad of performers.

Fans of the World Cup in the Philippines will be able to watch the competition on Skycable and Cignal, as well as on TapGo TV through World Cup TV.

PFF establishes inaugural PFF eTrophy competition

The Philippine Football Federation is set to launch its initial foray into eSports, with the upcoming PFF eTrophy.

Set to take place on April 15-16, 2021, the federation has invited eight eSports players nationwide to compete in this competition, which sets the stage for the establishment of the national team for upcoming international eSports competitions.

The country has seen an increased rise in interest in eSports, and with the growth of the eFootball movement leading to various online competitions within the various FIFA Member Associations and stakeholders. As a result, the PFF saw this as an opportunity to set up its first online tournament.

The PFF eTrophy sees eight players drawn into two four-man groups, with each group participating in a single round robin. The top two individuals from each group will face off in a two-leg crossover semifinals. The winners will then face off for the chance to be its inaugural champion, but both have earned representation into the FIFAe Nations Series 2021, which is set to commence later this month.

By having this tournament, the federation believes that it would help spur the growth of the sport and an alternative avenue for new fans to take up the sport.

Philippine Football Federation president Mariano Araneta, Jr. shares, "We thank FIFA for including eFootball in its platform which will allow us not only to host eSports competitions, but also to send our players to international competitions."

He adds, "As we host our first ever eFootball competition, we hope that it will encourage football fans and stakeholders to enjoy football not just on the physical pitch, but also on the digital pitch."

General Secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes says, "We see eFootball as one of the new and innovative ways to promote football to the general public, particularly to the youth. We invite all aspiring eFootball players to join and compete in the PFF eTrophy."

Infantino in Manila for two-day visit

photo from the Philippine Football Federation

It was only a week ago that Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino made his way to the Philippines, as he continued his Asian roadshow, meeting with officials from the Philippine Football Federation.

Supportive of the continued growth of the sport across all levels, Infantino checked in on the federation's efforts to further develop football in the Philippines in line with their FIFA Forward Programme, as well as to also see what else can the organization do with regards to football development.

The FIFA Forward Programme is laid out for its Member Associations to develop football through three main principles: more investment, more impact, and more oversight.

By meeting with Infantino, the PFF leadership, led by president Mariano Araneta, Jr. and general secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes reported on the federation's efforts to promote the sport, focusing on infrastructure, technical capacity building, competition, grassroots, the National League, and the national teams.

Infantino shares, "I'm very positive about football in the Philippines, I mean, already if you see the most recent results in the last year or two with qualification in the Asian Cup for men and for women as well, where maybe the Philippines we’re here in the region and now you know it's much more competitive so the last couple of years I've shown that some work is done and that some progress is made."

He adds, "(There are) 110 million people and there's talent on the field as well. I'm sure the Philippines will play a key role in the future, certainly in the ASEAN region but also in the world."

The Philippines is one of only eight nations that managed to make it to the tournament proper of the AFC Asian Cup for men (2019) and women (2018).

In addition, Infantino also issued a challenge for the PFF, says "We want to see the Philippines in the World Cup or at least fighting very close to be in the World Cup. For this reason, we have also increased the number of teams for the World Cup. From 32 to 48 and for the Women’s from 24 to 32, because we need to increase participation." He notes, "We need to make it truly global and we need to increase the level."

Araneta remarks, "We thank Mr. Gianni Infantino for his memorable visit to the country. His visit to the country has been an eye-opener for everyone. We know that more work has to be done to continuously develop the sport in the country, and with help from the private and public sectors, football will continue to foster."

Aside from meeting the football leadership in the country, he also met with Senators Manny Pacquiao and Pia Cayetano, sharing ideas on how sports can inspire and help the youth and communities.