The Filipinas have built a solid foundation for football's future in the Philippines.
"I feel like it's been a whirlwind."
The 26-year-old midfielder Quinley Quezada said it best, describing the Philippine women's national football team's incredible journey toward the FIFA Women's World Cup.
"I feel like in the past 18 months, we fit like 20 years' span of growth within a short period of time," Quezada said on Friday to One Sports' The Game.
"It's been amazing, but it's also been a fun experience, a really fun journey."
It's quite the Cinderella story for the Filipinas since January 30, 2022, the day the Philippines won a nail-biter of a penalty shootout against Chinese Taipei.
It was history for the Filipinas to reach the AFC Women's Asian Cup semifinals. More importantly, it also sealed the Philippines' maiden appearance at the FIFA Women's World Cup.
The momentum just built from there, reaching the Southeast Asian Games podium for a bronze medal for the first time in over 30 years, winning the AFF Women's Championship for the first time—and at home too.
The Philippines also reached a program-high rank of 46 in the FIFA rankings.
A few years ago, it would have been inconceivable for the Philippines to compete against the likes of Iceland, Wales, and Scotland. Who would have thought that the Philippines could score a goal in a friendly against Sweden? And that apparently, the Filipinas could even have a scrimmage against defending champion USA?
It was only 18 months, and yet it took less than two years from that penalty shootout to get a first-ever goal in the FIFA Women's World Cup and a historic victory against co-host New Zealand.
"As a team, we wanted to inspire a nation. We wanted to build up a solid foundation so that future generations can thrive. We wanted all Filipinos to feel pride when the national anthem played," Quezada wrote on Instagram as they returned home. "I just pray that what we’ve built continues on."
It's not the end of the Filipinas' journey, as they will compete in the Asian Games later this September.
"To the supporters, I hope that you consistently show up the way that you did and that it extends to other women’s sports. To the younger generation, I hope you dream as big as you can. Even if you have no idea which steps to take to get there, if you have the belief, heart, and passion, you really can do anything."