By JONAS TERRADO
The Philippines made the most significant jump among countries in the women’s world rankings following its historic qualification to next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Rankings released Friday (March 25) by football’s governing body saw the Pinay booters – known as Malditas – move 10 places higher at No. 54 – thanks to their remarkable run to the semifinals of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India.
It also set another new mark for the highest ranking ever received by the country in women’s football – never mind falling four spots short of reaching the top 50.
Previous rankings had seen the Philippines make a steady climb, even during the pandemic when it didn’t play a single match in 2020 and only appearing twice in 2021, both at the Asian Cup Qualifiers in Uzbekistan.
But the Asian Cup witnessed a remarkable run that started with a breakthrough victory over Southeast Asian neighbor Thailand, putting a gallant showing in a loss to Australia before thrashing Indonesia in the group stage.
A dramatic win over Taiwan through a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals confirmed the Philippines’ place in the World Cup, a feat not even the men’s team or any national squad on the youth level had achieved in the past.
The campaign ended with a semifinal loss to South Korea, but the euphoria of being assured of a World Cup berth is enough for the Philippines to consider the stint a massive success.
The latest ranking came as the team prepares for i early World Cup buildup with stints in the Southeast Asian Games, the AFF Women’s Championship the Philippines will host and the Asian Games.
Coach Alen Stajcic also agreed to a contract extension which runs after the World Cup.
