Since the ASEAN Women’s Championship was introduced in 2004, it has been primarily dominated by two teams.
Apart from Myanmar claiming the trophy in two of the first three editions, and a solitary triumph each by Australia and invitees Japan U-23, it has been Thailand and Vietnam taking turns at the summit of regional football — sharing a combined seven titles out of a possible ten from 2006 to 2019.
Three years ago, the balance was upset by the emergence of a new power.
A rapidly-rising Philippines would claim a first crown on home soil in what proved to be a brilliant campaign.
They initially had to settle for a second-place finish behind Thailand in Group A although it was still enough for a place in the semifinals.
From there, the Filipinas found another gear as they marched to glory with commanding 4-0 and 3-0 wins in the semifinals and final respectively — over Vietnam and Thailand, no less.
It may have been a historic achievement, but it certainly was not out of the blue.
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Earlier that year, Philippines reached another milestone with a first semifinal appearance at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
They were the best-performing Southeast Asian nation — with Thailand and Vietnam both falling in the quarterfinals — and the feat also secured a FIFA Women’s World Cup debut the following year.
Although Philippines failed to get out of the group stage in New Zealand, they managed to head home from a first World Cup appearance with a win to their names over the tournament co-hosts.
Philippines are now 41st in the FIFA world rankings and the 7th-highest Asian nation.
Vietnam do sit above them in 37th spot but, given all they have achieved in the past three years and the very fact that they are the reigning champions, Philippines will go from the hunters to the hunted at the latest edition of the ASEAN Women’s Championship — officially known as the ASEAN Women’s MSIG Serenity Cup 2025 — when it takes place from Aug. 6 to 19.
And they are certainly not taking their title defence lightly.
Although there are several notable absentees, including Italy-based star striker Sarina Bolden, there is still plenty of experience to call upon in the form of captain Hali Long, midfielder Quinley Quezada and goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel — who alone combine for 210 caps.
In the absence of Bolden, the goalscoring burden is likely to fall on the shoulders of Chandler McDaniel, who plays at the opposite end of the pitch from her older sister and boasts an impressive scoring record of 11 goals from 28 international outings.
Still, the fact that Philippines have just four players returning from their victorious 2022 squad suggests that youth will be given an opportunity to shine — and that it could also give their rivals added hope that the defending champions can be usurped.
The usual suspects in Thailand and Vietnam will be on the prowl. But there could also another contender in the form of Australia U-23.
Over the years, the Matildas have sent a variety of outfits to compete at the tournament.
It was the senior side, although not at full strength, that claimed their solitary title in 2008, although the U-20s did well to claim four consecutive top-four finishes between 2013 and 2018 — which included two as runners-up.
The expectation would be that the more-experienced U-23s should be performing at a higher level yet, in their first appearance last time out, they suffered a disappointing group-stage exit — an indirect consequence of Philippines’ rise as it was the latter who pipped them to a top-two finish.
The squad Australia are sending to Vietnam, where the tournament will be held in Phú Thọ and Haiphong, boasts three recent senior debutants in Bryleeh Henry, Isabel Gomez and Chloe Lincoln — a sure sign that there will be talent at their disposal.
Or perhaps, what Philippines did at the previous tournament might serve as inspiration for dark horses to break through into the upper echelon of Southeast Asian football.
After all, the Filipinas success in 2022 was preceded by a fourth-place finish in 2019 but, prior to that, they had never once made it out of the group stage.
The latest edition of the ASEAN Women’s Championship will could an enthralling battle between heavyweights or another captivating fairy tale run.
Either way, there will be plenty of excitement and drama.
