Men’s football will be eyeing a breakthrough podium finish while its women’s counterparts seek to get back to that spot, and even more in the Thailand Southeast Asian Games.
Both squads begin their bids on Friday, with the U-22s and the Filipinas facing Myanmar in Chiang Mai and Chonburi, respectively.
Undoubtedly the most anticipated sport of every Sea Games, football usually unfurls barely a week before the formal start of the biennial event. The 33rd edition’s opening ceremonies is on Dec. 9 in Bangkok.
The men’s team joins Myanmar in Group C at 700th Anniversary Stadium along with Indonesia, which the Philippines will face on the eve of the opener.
Age restrictions
As in recent editions, men’s football will have players under 22 years old. No overage footballers were permitted by host Thailand for the competition. Players over 22 years old were also barred during the 2023 Games in Cambodia when the Philippines drew once and lost four.
There’s optimism surrounding the squad, which during the past months produced solid results in a pair of U-23 competitions.
The Filipino footballers placed fourth in the Asean U-23 Championship in Jakarta after reaching the semifinals before losing to Vietnam and Thailand, the latter being its opponent in the consolation game for third.
They also posted two wins against one defeat for second in Group K of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, but missed out a spot in the main competition.
Sandro Reyes, Javier Mariona and Otu Banatao, who received the Rising Star Award in the Asean tilt, were some of the players listed in the squad for the SEA Games. Te Philippines needs to top the group or emerge as the best among the three second placers to reach the semifinals.
The Philippines struggled two years ago in Cambodia, failing to secure a win after going one draw and four defeats.
Meanwhile, the Filipinas are in Group B of the women’s tournament with defending champion Vietnam and Malaysia, and will seek a top-two finish to make the semis.
The Filipinas failed to reach the knockout stage in 2023, a downgrade from their bronze finish in Hanoi in the pandemic-delayed 2021 edition that was held a year late.
The Philippines sending a record number of 1,600 athletes and officials to the SEA Games.