AFTER waiting for three years and in a timely tune-up for their stint in the 33rd Thailand Southeast Asian Games in December, the Filipinas will defend their AFF Women’s Championship, now known as the MSIG Serenity Cup, from Aug. 6 to 19 in Vietnam.
The premier regional football tournament for women will go back to its roots, with Vietnam having hosted the inaugural edition in 2004 with eight teams, including the Philippines, ESPN sports website reported the other day.
Bankrolled by leading global insurance firm MSIG, Asean Football Federation president Khiev Sameth of Cambodia hailed the development as a “transformative era for the women’s game throughout the region,” when the competition was announced last March, the report said.
“The ASEAN Women’s MSIG Serenity Cup 2025 marks an important milestone in our shared journey to elevate women’s football in Southeast Asia,” Sameth added.
“Hosted with the support of the Vietnam Football Federation, this moment sets the stage for what promises to be a landmark edition of our region’s most prestigious women’s football tournament.”
“It is a tremendous honor for Vietnam to host the ASEAN Women’s MSIG Serenity Cup 2025, an occasion of great pride that reflects the remarkable growth of women’s football in our nation and across Southeast Asia,” said Vietnam Football Federation president Trân Quôc Tuân in a statement.
The draw for the tournament will be held on June 9, with the 20,000-seat Viêt Trì Stadium, the provincial capital of Phu To, and the 30,000-capacity Ląch Tray Stadium in the port city of Hài Phòng to be used for the group stages, the report said.
Aside from the Philippines, also competing in the blue-ribbon competition are Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Australia, Indonesia and Singapore.
Fresh from their successful stint in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India in 2022, reaching the semifinals to seal the country’s historic first berth in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Filipinas bagged the AFF Women’s Championship crown at the historic Rizal Memorial Stadium months later.
Under Australian coach Alen Stajcic, the Nationals, bannered by the likes of Tahnai Annis, Quinley Quezada, Sarina Bolden, Isabella Flanigan, Sara Eggesvik and Hali Long, among others, booked a spot in the semifinals from Group A with a 4-1 win-loss record.
Their only setback was at the hands of Group A topnotcher and four-time champion Thailand 0-1, before stomping on Vietnam 4-0 in the semis, setting up a grudge match and title showdown with Thailand.
Powered by a pair of markers from Bolden, the Filipinas were at their optimum best, avenging their earlier group loss by outclassing the Thais 3-0 to capture the country’s first major international championship on July 17, 2022 in front of nearly 9,000 animated hometown fans at the historic arena.
Stajcic’s compatriot and successor, Mark Torcaso, will now have the responsibility of steering the Filipinas to their second straight Asean crown, which would be a fitting tonic as they play in the SEA Games in Thailand, where they loom as one of the pre-tournament favorites.
