The Philippine Women’s National Football Team holds an open training camp at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on August 23, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA -- The Philippine women's national football team will begin their year with a nine-day training camp in Manila, the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) announced on Tuesday.
The camp culminates on February 25 in an intrasquad exhibition at the newly-completed Mall of Asia Football Field.
"I'm really looking forward to having the Filipinas back in action at home, where the supporters in Manila can get a chance to experience the team up close, in one of the city's new and exciting football venues," said coach Mark Torcaso.
The Filipinas are gearing up for several tournaments, including the Southeast Asian Games, the ASEAN Women's Championship and the Asian Cup Qualifiers.
"There's a lot to play for in 2025," said Torcaso. "This camp gives us a great opportunity to continue building the foundation for the way we want to play. We cannot wait to be back home to showcase our Filipinas."
The intrasquad exhibition on February 25 gives local fans an opportunity to see the national team in action.
"The Filipinas haven't spent much time at home since their historic World Cup run, so it's a really good opportunity for all the fans to connect with the team, and for our players to savor the experience of playing in front of their supporters. I can't think of a better way to introduce the new Mall of Asia Football Field to the Philippine public," said Director of Senior National Teams Freddy Gonzalez.
"Nine days of solid work at home, familiarizing with one another and with Coach Mark's game model will be a great way to start a big 2025 for the Filipinas," he added.
After a historic 2023 wherein they competed in the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time ever, the Filipinas were less busy in the past year.
A mixed result in the October window caused the Filipinas to drop to No. 41 in the FIFA Women's World Rankings.