The Philippines concluded its 2025 Southeast Asian Games campaign with a defining statement—one that will stand as the strongest collective performance by Philippine football and futsal teams in the nation’s history of participation in the SEA Games.

Across women’s football, men’s football, and women’s futsal, Philippine teams not only advanced deeper than ever before, but did so with conviction, competitiveness, and consistency against Southeast Asia’s traditional powers.

The campaign yielded the country’s first-ever SEA Games football gold medal, a historic return to the men’s semifinals after more than three decades, and a breakthrough comeback by the women’s futsal team in the biennial meet.

“This SEA Games campaign proved that Philippine football and futsal are no longer here

just to participate—we are here to win and to be respected,’’ said Philippine Football Federation president John Anthony Gutierrez.

``From the gold medal of the Filipinas, to the historic semifinals of our men's team, and the fearless women's futsal performances, this is the strongest statement we have ever made as a football nation,’’ added the country’s football chief.

Taken as a whole, the 2025 SEA Games marked a turning point—proof that Philippine football has moved beyond participation and into sustained contention.

At the heart of the campaign was the Philippine women’s national football team—the Filipinas—who captured the country’s first and only SEA Games gold medal in football, defeating defending champion Vietnam in a dramatic sudden-death penalty shootout.

“This gold medal belongs to every single Filipina player who wore the badge with pride, courage, and selflessness throughout this campaign,” said PFF General Secretary and PWNT Head of Delegation Gelix Mercader, who awarded the gold medals to the team.

“To present the medal to all 23 deserving players was deeply moving. Each one of them played a vital role in delivering this monumental achievement in Philippine women’s football,” added Mercader.

The Philippine men’s national under-22 team delivered its most successful SEA Games campaign ever, reaching the semifinals for the first time since 1991—and for the first time in the U22/U23 era.

Sincere appreciation is extended to PFF partners and sponsors GoTyme, Puma, Adidas, Studio300, Sip and Sip Plus, AIA, Hydro Flask, and Gourmet Farms.

The Philippine women’s national futsal team, Filipina5, completed one of the most encouraging campaigns in program history.

Entering the tournament ranked 69th in the world—the lowest among six teams—and returning to the SEA Games for the first time since 2011, Filipina5 reached the semifinals with a landmark 3–1 victory over Malaysia.

In the semifinals, the Filipina5 pushed eventual gold medalist and world number 11 Vietnam to a 0–1 result, a significant improvement over previous encounters and reflective of growth accelerated by hosting the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup.

“This is the best SEA Games performance for Philippine football,” said Gutierrez. “And it happened because our teams believed, our coaches prepared, and our players delivered.”

This was affirmed by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chair Patrick "Pato" Gregorio.

"The 2025 SEA Games made one thing clear: the Philippines can now win in sports we once believed were beyond us—football most prominently among them," Gregorio said.

"It is the most followed sport in the ASEAN region, and for the Filipinas to win SEA Games gold is a major step forward," he added.

Gutierrez likewise thanked all players who gave their all on the pitch, their parents and families, the coaches, management, and team staff, and the entire PFF workforce committed to developing Philippine football.