Women’s World Cup 2023 team guides part three: Philippines
This article is part of the Guardian’s Women’s World Cup 2023 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 32 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 20 July.
OverviewFootball in the Philippines has always been in the shadows of basketball and boxing but in the last decade, the women’s international team, the Filipinas, has been steadily on the rise and came close to qualifying for the 2019 World Cup in France.
Last year, the breakthrough finally happened. The Philippines reached the semi-finals of the 2022 AFC Asian Cup with a defensive solidity, resilience and a trademark never-say-die attitude on display all tournament long, and that was enough to qualify for the country’s first World Cup.
Much like their male counterparts, the Philippine diaspora has provided the country with options all across the world, and particularly in the United States. The key to success, however, was the hiring of the experienced former Australia coach Alen Stajcic in 2021, his tactical acumen and tournament team management instrumental in taking the Philippines to the next level.
New players joined the squad too, such as Norwegian-born Sara Eggesvik and Canadian-born Jackie Sawicki, and they had no problem fitting in and bonding with the experienced players in the team, such as the defensive linchpin Hali Long and captain Tahnai Annis.
They went on to secure their first medal in 37 years at the Southeast Asian Games, beating Myanmar to win bronze, before capping their superb run with a first major trophy a few months later by winning the 2022 AFF Women’s Championships held in the Philippines. The biggest
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