THE Filipinas, the national women’s football team, will kick off their 2023 season by seeing action in their first European tournament, the four-nation Pinatar Cup, from Feb. 15 to 21 at the Pinatar Arena Football Center San Pedro del Pinatar in Murcia, Spain.
The World Cup-bound charges of coach Alen Stacjic will be pitted against Wales, Scotland and Iceland, teams that are ranked higher than them in the FIFA women’s world ratings.
Currently ranked No. 53, the Filipinas begin their campaign against Wales (No. 32) on Feb. 15, followed by Scotland (No. 25) before capping their stint in the short series against Iceland (No. 16) on Feb. 21.
“Competing in the Pinatar Cup is a great opportunity for the Filipinas to familiarize themselves with European teams ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” Philippine Football Federation president Mariano Araneta Jr. said.
PFF general secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes thanked the meet organizer, IAST Sports, for including the Filipinas in the roster of teams for the 2023 edition of the event.
“We thank IAST Sports, led by its CEO David Vailing, for extending their invitation to the Philippine women’s national team in the Pinatar Cup,” said Gastanes. “It will be exciting to see our Filipinas play against strong teams from Europe.”
The FIFA window in February is a “Type II” window where teams can play a maximum of three matches.
“We are levelling up our preparations for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the team will benefit playing against stronger more experienced teams,” said national team manager Jeff Cheng, who has bankrolled the national team’s preparations together with the PFF and the Philippine Sports Commission.
