PFF hails U-15 team after Baku tourney: ‘They never backed down’

MANILA — The Philippine Under-15 Men’s National Football Team finished a respectable 110th out of 189 countries in the inaugural edition of the FIFA World Cup & Festival, which concluded last week in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Spain emerged as champions, defeating Czechia 3-0 in the final at Baku’s Crystal Hall. 

The tournament featured a total of 932 matches played in an innovative 8v8 format, with 4,505 goals scored over the competition.

For Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President John Gutierrez, the PMNFT U-15’s performance is proof that the country’s homegrown talents “can compete well against opponents from other continents.”

“These boys never backed down. They faced strong, unfamiliar teams, played five matches in three days, and kept fighting. That attitude is what we want in every Philippine national team,” he added.

The Philippine side had a total of 19 goals in 10 games, highlighted by four victories against Belize (1-0) and Curacao (8-1) in the Group Stage while defeating Macau (2-0) and Aruba (5-2) in the Classification Stage. The Filipino U15s drew Zimbabwe (2-2).

The team featured mostly homegrown players from regional football associations (RFAs), schools, and clubs. 

“Our youth players competed in a global tournament, against teams from around the world. That kind of exposure was out of reach for most Filipinos in the past. We thank FIFA for creating this event because now, we can play against and learn from countries from distant lands,” said Gutierrez.