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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider First Balfour holds 6th annual football tourney

First Balfour holds 6th annual football tourney

Published Dec 9, 2025 02:06 pm

At A Glance

  • First Balfour Inc., the Lopez Group's construction and engineering arm, gathered recently its valued partners, clients, and suppliers to play at the 6th First Balfour Football Cup as part of the company's 56th anniversary celebration.
First Balfour Inc., the Lopez Group’s construction and engineering arm, gathered recently its valued partners, clients, and suppliers to play at the 6th First Balfour Football Cup as part of the company’s 56th anniversary celebration.
Players from 18 participating teams of the Sixth First Balfour Football Cup gather at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig City for a group photo.
Players from 18 participating teams of the Sixth First Balfour Football Cup gather at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig City for a group photo.
The latest edition of the First Balfour tournament attracted a record 18 teams, or almost three times the number in 2019 when First Balfour started the games to mark the company’s 50th anniversary and promote employee welfare and wellness, one of the Lopez Group’s core values.
“The tournament goes beyond crowning champions; it creates a space where players, along with their friends and families, can connect, recharge, and celebrate together. With trusted partners by its side, the First Balfour Cup continues to grow—not just in size, but in meaning and community spirit,” said First Balfour President and COO Joval Pantangco.
The tournament has since then become a much-anticipated annual event where teams from a wide range of industries and sectors --- engineering and construction, energy and utilities, banking, real estate, cement companies and government agencies --- play to enjoy the camaraderie, shared stories and lasting partnerships they have built over the years.
Participating teams came from Acciona, Arup, Bauer Foundations Philippines, Concreat Holdings Philippines, Department of Transportation (DOTr), D.M. Consunji, Inc. (DMCI), First Balfour, First Gen–Energy Development Corporation (EDC), Holcim, JFE Engineering–First Balfour Joint Venture (JFE-FB JV), Leighton Asia, Megawide PCS, Meralco Sparks Football Club, Nishimatsu, Philippine National Bank (PNB), Rockwell Land Corporation, UnionBank and Shimizu.
Held at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig City, the latest edition also featured an international roster of players, with nationalities ranging from Brazilian, Filipino, Irish, Egyptian, German, Japanese, Malaysian, Bangladeshi, to Thai.
In response to the team increase, the tournament separated the 18 teams into two divisions --- Division 1 and Division 2 --- and added in each division Cup and Plate brackets so teams enjoyed more playing time and a wider range of matchups. The structure also kept the players’ energy high and their excitement alive until the final whistle.
Division 1 saw Rockwell Land reclaim the spotlight as Cup Champion, while Acciona and Concreat Holdings took second and third places, respectively. In the division’s Plate bracket, Nisimatsu emerged victorious, followed by First Balfour and PNB.
Over at Division 2, First Gen-EDC clinched the Cup title, with JFE-FB JV and Shimizu rounding out the podium. In the Plate bracket, DMCI took the top spot, followed by Bauer Foundations Philippines and the DOTr.
Outstanding players also received awards. Louis Campos (Rockwell Land) was named Most Valuable Player, while Jason Talosig (Rockwell Land) and Ian Ocampo (First Gen-EDC) were recognized as Best Goalkeepers in their respective divisions. Eder Mendes (Acciona) and Edrian Mendoza (JFE-FB JV) earned Best Field Player honors, and Leighton Asia took home the Sportsmanship Award.
Arup, Concreat Holdings Philippines, and Rockwell Land Corporation were likewise recognized for their fifth year of participation in the First Balfour Football Cup. 
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