From a listless outing last year, the Philippine national women’s football team gets another crack at some of Europe’s finest in the 2024 Pinatar Cup slated to run from 24 to 27 February in Spain.
The Filipinas hope to banish the ghost of their forgettable campaign as the Mark Torcaso-mentored squad battles Scotland, Slovenia and Finland.
The team made its debut in the tournament last year as part of its preparation for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
It was a nightmare for the Pinay booters after losing all of their three matches in the four-nation field.
However, unlike last year where a single round-robin was implemented, the tournament will now have the four teams pair up in the semifinals with the winners advancing to the final. The losers will be relegated to the bronze medal match.
The Philippines opens its campaign against the Scottish, No. 25 in the International Football Federation, on 24 February.
The bronze medal match and the championship will be on 27 February.
To beef up their firepower, the Filipinas held tryouts at Great Park in Los Angeles last 27 November to 6 December.
Apart from the World Cup, the Philippines also made it to the 2024 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China last September and went up as high as No. 38 in the FIFA rankings — its best standing in history.
