Amid doubts and uncertainty, Filipinas earn 'Team of the Year' honors after SEA Games gold

Filipinas team captain Hali Long received a special jersey honoring her 100th cap for the Philippine women's national football team, as the team celebrated their historic gold medal win in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games. (Photo: PWNFT/Facebook)

The Philippine women's national football team, popularly known as the Filipinas, was recognized as the “Team of the Year” by an esteemed Philippine sports media outlet after their historic title finish in the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

In its annual Sportsman of the Year Awards, the Sports Interactive Network Philippines touted the Filipina booters' resilience throughout the year en route to winning the country's first-ever football gold medal in the biennial meet.

“A change in the coaching staff and a leadership shakeup at the Philippine Football Federation was followed by a mixed bag of results for the Filipinas, who, nonetheless, still found a way to make another vital piece of 'Herstory' before the year ended by winning the country's first-ever football gold medal at the SEA Games in Thailand,” it said in its report published on Thursday, January 1.

Last December, the Filipinas dethroned four-time defending SEA Games champion Vietnam in a thrilling penalty shootout, with goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel pulling off the medal-clinching save.

It wasn't the easiest path for head coach Mark Torcaso and his wards, who opened their campaign with a narrow loss to Myanmar.

To reach the semifinals, they salvaged a stoppage-time victory against Vietnam and routed Malaysia, finishing second in Group A ahead of Myanmar on goal difference.

The Filipinas then faced host Thailand in the semifinal round, forcing an additional 30 minutes after trailing by one-nil early in the second half and triumphing in the decisive penalty shootout.

ALSO READ: Lest we forget: Believe in the Filipinas

“We dug out of a hole we put ourselves in. And we fought, and we crawled, and we did everything we could in our power to get to the semifinals, get to the finals, and put it away. We practice our penalties too. As soon as we went to PKs [penalty kicks], I knew it was ours,” team captain Hali Long told Tiebreaker Times in an interview.

Ending doubts, establishing strength in Southeast Asia

Elated Filipinas' players rushed toward goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel after she delivered the game-winning save for the Philippines' first-ever gold medal in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games. (Photo: PWNFT/Facebook)

In a series of tweets on X, veteran football journalist Venice Furio stressed that while the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup remains the bigger target for the Filipinas, the SEA Games “is a major tournament on its own and a real chance to rebuild momentum, test depth, and re-establish regional footing.”

It’s been an up-and-down year of 2025 for the team since booking a third-straight ticket to the Asian Cup.

The Philippines failed to defend its crown in the ASEAN Women’s Championship, formerly known as the ASEAN Football Federation Women’s Championship, after a dismal group-stage exit.

Torcaso fielded a relatively young squad to give them experience going into the Asian Cup, which will serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The regional tiff was also held outside the FIFA window, wherein players are tied with their clubs.

ALSO READ: Young Filipinas squad to defend ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup crown

His decision, however, drew criticisms among fans who doubted whether the Filipinas could retain the title amid the absence of proven stars, including Sarina Bolden and Katrina Guillou.

Winless results against Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan in friendly matches at home made matters worse, raising questions and concerns about the team’s conditions.

“Expectations are high because the Filipinas burst onto the world stage with a strong identity and a sharp competitive edge. Fans want to see that same clarity and drive again. Torcaso is under pressure to steady the narrative, and the SEAG [SEA Games] becomes an important moment for him to show that the project is progressing rather than stalling,” said Furio.

Despite the struggles, the Filipinas ended the year with a monumental feat by clinching the elusive SEA Games gold – a first for the Philippines across all football events.

ALSO READ: With SEA Games gold, Filipinas remind the forgetful who they are

For Torcaso, who succeeded fellow Australian tactician Alen Stajcic, widely regarded as the chief architect of the country’s meteoric rise in the international scene, he helped restore confidence among Filipino hopefuls.

“We’ll enjoy this one. It’s a long time coming for our country to win the SEA Games,” he said, per Tiebreaker Times. “Every single person, even Kevin, our kit man, and Karyn Caliway, played a part and deserves this as much as everyone else.”

Filipinas’ next target: World Cup qualification

Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso joined his players in celebrating their historic gold medal in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games. (Photo: PWNFT/Facebook)

Job’s not done yet, though, for the Filipinas as they vie for a return trip to the World Cup in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia in March.

On paper, they are in for a difficult pool play after being drawn with the host nation, South Korea, and Iran in Group A. Only the top two teams in the three groups and the two best third-placed nations will advance into the quarterfinals. 

The four semifinalists and two play-in winners will qualify for the World Cup next year.

Despite the glaring challenge, Torcaso expressed hope that the Filipinas are poised for another strong showing after their historic SEA Games campaign.

“Now, we'll rest a little bit, and then we have to get ready for the Asian Cup. And we saw how disciplined our girls can be against good teams. And I truly believe that we can do that against Australia, South Korea, and Iran,” he said in a report by ABS-CBN Sports. “I truly believe that we can do something special there as well and go to another World Cup.”

In 2022, the Philippines, then monikered as “Malditas,” fulfilled an unimaginable dream of booking a World Cup berth after outlasting Chinese Taipei in a thrilling penalty shootout.

Come the global showpiece, the Filipinas earned the admiration of the nation with a heartfelt stint built on a stunning one-nil win against host New Zealand for their first win in the quadrennial meet.