It won’t be the last of the Philippine women’s national football team in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. An emotional Filipinas co-captain Hali Long only had good things to say about the Nationals’ experience in the grandest football showpiece despite their early exit after a 6-0 loss to world No. 12 Norway on Sunday, July 30 at Eden Park Stadium.
*Filipinas co-captain Hali Long. (Adidas)*

It was the 46th-ranked Philippines’ maiden appearance, male or female, at the World Cup against the much experienced foes and it managed to turn heads and make history after its first-ever win over tournament co-host New Zealand before its adoring supporters. All it took was Sarina Bolden’s header in the 24th minute of the match and Olivia McDaniel’s heroic defensive effort until the final whistle to give the Philippines a fighting chance to be in the running for the Last 16. At some point, the Filipinas were even a notch higher in the table than the Norwegians before their clash. “It was an incredible ride. I mean, there were so many firsts that happened here. Our first goal, our first win, our first game, our first card, our first anything. It was all a first for us and you can’t take any of that away from us. I mean, it takes [some] teams three or four or five World Cups just to win a game let alone score a goal,” said Long. “So, I can’t be more proud of the effort we gave in this whole campaign. Made our group pretty interesting,” she added. Long played her 76th cap for the country in the painful loss, the most from any Filipinas after joining the program in 2015 and becoming instrumental in the growth of women's football in the country. "I mean, it’s always a goal to bring Philippine women’s football to the biggest stage we can, I just didn’t think it would happen while I was still playing, I’m just super lucky to get to do this," Long said. Before the kickoff and while the Lupang Hinirang anthem was being played for the third time in the tournament, Long was particularly more emotional that even the commentators made a remark on it. For her, to qualify for the World Cup used to be just a pipe dream and now it was a lived experience thanks to the people who "bet on the unknown." "Even going back to the SEA Games in 2017 and 2019, me and Camrod (former teammate Camille Rodriguez) were crying every national anthem," she recalled. "So anytime Lupang Hinirang comes on, it just means so much because it’s just like you die for your countrymen. I mean, it’s everything, it’s the pride and honor you have to represent your country everywhere on the global stage — as an underdog, as a beauty queen, as a boxer, as a weightlifter, as a futbolera," Long furthered. "It’s an utmost honor to, one, bring the Lupang Hinirang here, bring the Philippine flag here for the first time [at the World Cup] and to be able to be on the pitch to do that. It’s just a definite highlight of my life." The next challenge now awaits the Filipinas as they look to sustain the support they received from all over the world in the last few weeks. "I mean, us qualifying for the World Cup, I think opened a lot of eyes to what it takes to get here. Obviously, sir Jefferson Cheng and the PFF took a really big chance to get us anything and everything we could [need] to prepare for this," Long said. "Just to bring awareness to it all, to bring camaraderie and morale even if you’re not a football fan. I mean, just to bring our country together is such a wonderful thing. Everyone who’s here, there’s so many Pinoys here. [Thousands] of Pinoys. It’s absolutely unreal that it just shows you how much love we have for one another and our country. No matter what it is, no matter what stage, big or small, we always have each other’s backs. We’re always rooting for our countrymen," she concluded.