Push Admin

'Welcome to the party': Stajcic pleased to see more attention on Filipinas, football

Article (news)

Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News 

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="ABS-CBN News/file" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/07/29/20230725-filipinas-watch-party-md-13.jpg"/><figcaption>Supporters celebrate at the FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup watch party in Quezon City after the first win of the Philippine Women&#x27;s Football Team against New Zealand on July 25, 2023. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>The Philippine women&#x27;s national football team has captured the country&#x27;s attention with their historic campaign in the FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup 2023. </p><p>Ahead of the global showcase in New Zealand and Australia, the Filipinas expressed hope that their remarkable rise would boost the sport, which has lagged behind basketball, volleyball and boxing in terms of popularity.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/09/23/philippines-hope-meteoric-rise-to-world-cup-is-game-changer">Football: Philippines hope &#x27;meteoric rise&#x27; to World Cup is game-changer</a></li></ul><p>In their first two group round matches, the Filipinas have exceeded all expectations and made history. They were competitive in a 2-0 loss to Sweden, the 20th ranked team in the world. And against New Zealand, the co-hosts, they pulled off a stunning 1-0 upset to stay in the race for a spot in the round-of-16.</p><p>The Filipinas&#x27; remarkable triumph over New Zealand was widely seen in watch parties all over Metro Manila, and the excitement for the team has only grown since then. Ahead of their final Group A game against Norway on Sunday, more watch parties have been organized in various malls all over the country.</p><p>Philippines coach Alen Stajcic is all for it.</p><p>&quot;Welcome to the football party, welcome to the football family,&quot; said Stajcic. &quot;It doesn&#x27;t matter how long you take to get there, we&#x27;ll embrace everyone.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/25/23/filipinas-stun-new-zealand-for-first-ever-world-cup-win">Football: Filipinas stun New Zealand for first-ever World Cup win</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/multimedia/slideshow/07/25/23/in-photos-celebrating-phs-first-world-cup-victory">IN PHOTOS: Philippines celebrate historic World Cup victory</a></li></ul><p>Stajcic, who has steered the Filipinas&#x27; rise from regional minnows to a World Cup team, noted that football &quot;is a religion&quot; in most countries -- and that New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines are three countries where football is not the No. 1 sport. </p><p>To see football reach new heights in the Philippines can only be a good thing for the coach.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;ll welcome everyone, we&#x27;ll embrace everyone. As we know, football is the universal sport where everyone can play, everyone can support and everyone can engage with the game,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;You don&#x27;t have to be 7-foot tall, you don&#x27;t have to be tall, short, wide. It doesn&#x27;t matter what color you are, it doesn&#x27;t matter what religion you are. Everyone can play, and that&#x27;s why the whole world loves the game, and that&#x27;s why World Cups are so special in men&#x27;s and women&#x27;s football, &#x27;cause it brings the whole world together,&quot; he added.</p><p>&quot;Majority of the people around the world love it, because of that reason. So, about time. Should have more than 40 malls [with watch parties].&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/26/23/watch-parties-complement-filipinas-historic-world-cup-appearance">Watch parties complement Filipinas’ historic World Cup appearance</a></li></ul><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="PFF-PWNFT." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/07/29/20230725-filipinas-vs-new-zealand-fifa-world-cup-ho-2031.jpg"/><figcaption>Filipinas captain Tahnai Annis (6) thanks their supporters after their upset over New Zealand in the FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup, July 25, 2023 at the Sky Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand. <em>PFF-PWNFT.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>While they embrace the increased attention and hype from fans at home, the Filipinas are also enjoying great support from the local community in New Zealand. </p><p>Filipino fans have shown up in great numbers for both of their matches against Switzerland and New Zealand, and even their match against the co-hosts &quot;felt like a home game,&quot; according to defender Jessika Cowart.</p><p>&quot;They were so loud and so proud, and you feel it every time the national anthem is playing in there,&quot; she said. &quot;It&#x27;s been amazing to have them. So they bring that type of home game feeling every time we step out onto the pitch, and we&#x27;re really grateful for it.&quot;</p><p>The Filipinas will play Norway at the Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday, hoping to receive a boost from another good-sized crowd. A victory over the European powerhouse will propel the Philippines to an appearance in the round-of-16.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/25/23/norway-in-world-cup-peril-amid-hegerberg-injury-and-player-unrest">Norway in World Cup peril amid Hegerberg injury and player unrest</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2740178" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The Philippine women's national football team has captured the country's attention with their historic campaign in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. 

'Welcome to the party': Stajcic pleased to see more attention on Filipinas, football

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Sports

'Welcome to the party': Stajcic pleased to see more attention on Filipinas, football

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 29, 2023 11:57 PM PHT

Read More:

football

FIFA

FIFA Women's World Cup

Filipinas

PWNFT

Alen Stajcic

Norway

New Zealand

Switzerland

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.