The Philippines national football team (Filipino: Pambansang koponan ng futbol ng Pilipinas) represents the Philippines in men's international football, governed by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and has been playing internationally since 1913.
Prior to World War II, the Philippines had regularly competed with Japan and the Republic of China in the Far Eastern Championship Games. So far, the national team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup[4] and has qualified for the AFC Asian Cup only once, in 2019. They finished second at the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup after losing to Palestine in the final.[5]
Unlike most of Southeast Asia where football is the most popular sport, the Philippines' most popular sports are basketball and boxing, inherited from American rule. Often, the Philippines would suffer group stage eliminations at the AFF Championship.
However, since the 2010 AFF Championship, the country has attempted to develop football as part of the sport's renaissance, finding more incentives to increase football development and fan support.
