WELLINGTON, New Zealand – In some ways, the Philippines and New Zealand are similar when it comes to how football is viewed by their people. Like in the Philippines where basketball is No. 1 , New Zealand isn’t exactly a football country as rugby holds the spot as its most popular sport.
Incidentally, the two nations will battle on Wednesday in the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup with both teams making history even before they square off at the Wellington Regional Stadium.
See Filipinas face New Zealand in crucial match in Fifa Women's World Cup
The Philippines made its first World Cup appearance in either gender on Friday, with the Filipinas losing to Switzerland on Friday in Dunedin. A day before, New Zealand claimed its first-ever victory in the World Cup, beating Norway, 1-0, in Auckland.
But more than the achievement, Filipinas coach Alen Stajcic also views the match as an opportunity for women’s football and the sport in general to grow for both countries.
“I know that basketball is No. 1 in the Philippines but football is starting to stand on its own, competing and garnering the attention of young boys and girls to inspire and to think that football can be a sport of choice of Filipinos as well as around the world,” said Stajcic.

Players of New Zealand also felt the effects of the Women’s World Cup win. They will now go for a place in the round-of-16.
“You can kinda see it after that game that it is being more around,” said New Zealand player Malia Steinmetz. “Like, we got coffee and someone comes up and says ‘Congrats.’ We do feel it. It’s been nice. It’s one of the main reasons why we’ve been pushing so hard to play with the way we do. It’s for the young generation and we want to inspire the country.
“You see parts of it and we want to keep the ball rolling and keep inspiring again,” said Steinmetz.
Stajcic commended New Zealand for the work it has done to make football grow in its country, leading to 42,137 fans in its Fifa Women’s World Cup match that it is co-hosting with Australia. The largest football crowd in the country’s history didn’t go home disappointed as the Football Ferns scored a 1-0 win against Norway last Thursday.
“I just think it’s brilliant, unbelievable, magical to have that much support for a national team here,” said Stajcic. “I think they broke the record the other day for a football match in New Zealand. To have football nest making inroads into the rugby codes that are here that are number one…”
The match will be crucial for both New Zealand and the Philippines in their bid to progress to the next round, more so for the Filipinas as they go for a good result to stay in the hunt.
But Stajcic also sees the bigger picture to the match in terms of the growth of the game.
“This is our moment to shine and celebrate our game and the fact that men and women can play on an equal level is unique and really special. It’s just a special moment. I actually embrace the crowd. I wish it was big. I wish that the stadium is bigger. It’s a brilliant stadium but obviously, I wish it was even bigger so that more people that can watch these girls play, the more enjoyment they are going to get and the more our sport is going to grow,” said Stajcic.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph