Football delivers strong statement in Thailand SEAG: PH is now a regional power
The Philippines concluded its 2025 Southeast Asian Games campaign with a defining statement—one that will stand as the strongest collective performance by its national football and futsal teams in a long history of participation in the biennial meet.
Across women’s football, men’s football and women’s futsal, PH teams made runs deeper than ever against the region’s traditional powers as the Filipinas won the country’s first-ever football gold medal, while the men made a historic return to the semifinals after more than three decades.
“We are here to win and to be respected,” Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president John Anthony Gutierrez said. “From the gold medal of the Filipinas, to the historic semifinals of our men’s team, and the fearless women’s futsal performances, this is the strongest statement we have ever made as a football nation.’’
The 2025 SEAG basically had the Philippines announcing that it has moved beyond mere participation and into sustained contention.
The Filipinas’ climb to the top needed them to unseat defending champion Vietnam, which they did so in a dramatic sudden-death penalty shootout.
“This gold medal belongs to every single Filipina player who wore [played] with pride, courage, and selflessness throughout this campaign,” said PFF general secretary Angelico “Gelix” Mercader, who awarded the gold medals to the team. “To present the medal to all 23 deserving players was deeply moving.
The men in semis
The Philippine men’s national under-22 team delivered its most successful SEA Games campaign ever, reaching the semifinals for the first time since 1991—and for the first time in the U22/U23 era.
The Philippine women’s national futsal team, Filipina5, completed one of the most encouraging campaigns in program history.
Entering the tournament ranked 69th in the world—the lowest among six teams—and returning to the SEA Games for the first time since 2011, Filipina5 reached the semifinals with a landmark 3–1 victory over Malaysia.
In the semifinals, the Filipina5 pushed eventual gold medalist and world No. 11 Vietnam to a 0–1 result, a significant improvement over previous encounters and reflective of growth accelerated by hosting the inaugural Fifa Futsal Women’s World Cup.
“This is the best SEA Games performance for Philippine football,” said Gutierrez. “And it happened because our teams believed, our coaches prepared, and our players delivered.”
Gutierrez likewise thanked all players who gave their all on the pitch, their parents and families, the coaches, management, and team staff, and the entire PFF workforce committed to developing Philippine football.
