Long minnows in the sport, the Philippines have never played at a FIFA World Cup, either the men's or women's. Stajcic calls their journey from "almost ground zero" to the World Cup "miraculous". It began with the Women's Asian Cup in early 2022 when they made the semi-finals, losing to South Korea but securing a historic World Cup berth. 'We don't have fields'The Philippines are in Group A at the World Cup alongside co-hosts New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland. The team hopes getting the Philippines to their first World Cup can be a game-changer for football in the country.

Source: Manila Times July 10, 2023 13:53 UTC