The Philippines will be making its first-ever appearance in the FIFA World Cup by way of their outstanding women's football team, and Adidas has officially confirmed that they will be partnering up with the island-nation to produce their kits.
The announcement of the deal and contract signing was done by Philippine Football Federation Secretary-general Atty. Ed Gastanes and Adidas Philippines general manager Anthony Frangos.
Co-captains of the Philippines women's national football team defender Hali Long and goalkeeper Inna Palacios were also present at the event.
"We hope we can promote a pathway for girls to play football and dream that what once seem impossible, is possible," Frangos was quoted to have said by local media.
Long and Palacios posed had a ceremonial photo op standing beside Gastanes and Frangos, however, the official kit for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup will be revealed in May according to Frangos.
The Philippines women's national football team captured the hearts and minds of their fellow countrymen after pulling off a stunning performance at the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women's Championship held from July 4 to 17, with three different venues hosting the matches.
Starting off their campaign on a four-match winning streak, the Filipinas had their first taste of defeat against Thailand as part of Group A in the 11-nation tourney.
It would mark the last time that they would taste defeat, however, after producing a 4-0 win against Vietnam in the semi-finals and a stunning 3-0 victory against Thailand in the final as a crowd of 8,257 people cheered them on to the win.
Midfielder and California-born Sarina Bolden ended atop the rankings for most goals scored throughout the tournament with eight which also features a hat-trick against Indonesia during the group stages and a two-goal performance against Vietnam in the semis.
The Filipinas qualified for the Women's World Cup after defeating Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Asian Cup 4-3 on penalties and even if they had fallen to South Korea in the semis, the group proved that the sport is very much alive in the basketball-crazed country.
The Philippines will not be the only debutant at the Women's World Cup as Southeast Asian nation Vietnam and African countries like Morocco and Zambia are all set to join them.
Being sponsored by a major sports brand like Adidas is set to propel the group to new heights of popularity as it allows fans to feel as if they are a part of their campaign for international success while proudly wearing official merchandise.
According to local reports, the deal is good for the next four years.
Momentum is on the side of the Filipinas as they get set to take part in the global soccer tournament that is set to begin on July 20 and end on August 20.