THE Filipinas’ matches in the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup will be aired on local television after all.
This after Cignal TV secured the broadcast rights for the competition at the last minute, the Philippine Football Federation announced on Monday.
The announcement comes just four days before the Filipinas open their historic campaign in the Fifa Women’s World Cup against Switzerland on Friday in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Initially, there were concerns that the Filipinas' matches won’t be seen on local TV, the Philippines being one of many countries that have not secured broadcast deals for the global showpiece, mainly due to its steep price.
“This is an exciting development for football fans in the Philippines with the Filipinas’ matches in the FIFA Women’s World Cup to be shown live on free television and other platforms of Cignal TV,” said PFF president Mariano ‘Nonong’ Araneta.
“Cignal stepped up and made sure that the Filipinas’ historic campaign will be available in the Philippines. This is not just a historic moment for the Filipinas but for the entire country and having a broadcaster ensures that we all enjoy the moment together.”
The PFF said all the matches will be aired on free TV live via One Sports, and on the Pilipinas Live app.
“We are grateful to Cignal for making sure that Filipinos eager to support the PWNFT at the Women’s World Cup now have one less thing to fret about,” said team manager Jeff Cheng. “Cignal surely made a lot of people happy today. Maraming salamat.”
The Philippines will be competing in its first-ever World Cup in football – women or men. It will be one of the 32 nations to see action in the event to be co-hosted by Australia after reaching the semifinals of the Asian Cup last year.
PWNT goes up against Switzerland on Friday at 1 p.m., before flying to Wellington where it will go up against host New Zealand on July 25 at 1:30 p.m. The Filipinas cap their group stage campaign against Norway on July 30 at 3 p.m.
“Having a broadcaster in the Philippines goes a long way in our efforts in promoting The Beautiful Game,” said PFF secretary general Edwin Gastanes.