For the past few years, the Filipinas have served as the standard bearer of Philippine football.
Milestones such as qualifying for and winning a match in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, clinching a bronze medal in the Southeast Asian Games, and capturing the AFF Women’s Championship title on home soil were once considered pipe dreams — even among the most devoted supporters of the squad.
But those dreams came true.
Unfortunately, they now feel like distant memories.
Just a few years ago, fans had grown accustomed to seeing the Filipinas face off against top-tier nations like Finland, Costa Rica, and the Republic of Ireland.
Now, there’s a growing sense that the program has hit a dry spell — a lull that is hard to ignore.
Many point to a pivotal moment that marked the start of this downturn: the departure of longtime team benefactor Jefferson Cheng in 2024.
As the Filipinas push for qualification in next year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, one of their key players has finally spoken out about the uncertainty clouding the team’s future.
“I think it’s been pretty obvious that it’s been inconsistent for us, which has been frustrating,” said midfielder Jaclyn Sawicki in an interview with Laban Filipinas’ Venice Furio on the sidelines of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers.
“But I think now there’s no more time we can waste. We’re really just hoping that the (Philippine Football) Federation, management and everyone that’s on board are gonna continue backing us in this journey. All we can do now as players is (to keep it at) one game at a time, and it’s kind of in our hands at this point.”
The Filipinas’ credentials as World Cup participants were on full display in their dominant 3-0 win over world no. 165 Saudi Arabia last Sunday.
Goals from Sawicki, Meryll Serrano, and Alexa Pino propelled the team to victory — putting them within reach of the next round.
A win against Cambodia this Wednesday, coupled with a draw in the earlier match between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, would seal their qualification.
In general, players tend to stay away from speaking on management issues, especially those that might seem above their responsibilities.
But Sawicki’s timing couldn’t have been more fitting — especially after scoring a goal herself.
“It’s funny timing because I was just telling one of my teammates that it’s been a really long time since I scored an international goal, so I’m happy to put one in the net,” she said.
“I think we just wanted to swing it more and use both sides to our advantage because that was clearly the outlet. We just kept building on what we did in the first half and stepped it up a notch and put more goals at the back of the net (in the second half).”
Whether meaningful change or at least clarity will come remains uncertain.
But one thing is clear: the Filipinas are still fighting to reclaim their place on both the continental and global stages.
Following their final group matches against Cambodia and Hong Kong, the team will shift focus to defending their AFF Women’s Championship crown this August in Vietnam.
By year’s end, they’ll also look to finally secure that elusive gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
With so much on the line, the very least the team deserves is consistent backing.
After all, this group has given Filipino football fans moments that once seemed impossible — memories that sparked a new era for the beautiful game in the Philippines.
