The Philippine women's national football team will take some time to bask in their latest achievement before shifting their attention to a new challenge -- next year's AFC Women's Asian Cup.
The Filipinas emerged as one of the biggest stars for Team Philippines in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games after a stunning run to the gold medal, which saw them defeat host nation Thailand in the semis then dethrone four-time defending champion Vietnam in the final.
Along the way, a new set of heroes emerged for the team, with youngsters such as Mallie Ramirez and Alexa Pino introducing themselves to the nation while veterans Hali Long, Olivia McDaniel, and Sara Eggesvik continued to perform at a high level.
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"What's next? We'll enjoy this one. We have to enjoy this one because it's a long time coming for this country to win the SEA Games," head coach Mark Torcaso said after Wednesday night's triumph at the Chonburi Stadium.
"We'll rest a little bit and then we have to get ready for the Asian Cup," he added.
It was a tournament to remember for the Filipinas. They recovered from dropping their first match -- a 1-2 setback to Myanmar -- and being put in must-win situations against Vietnam and Malaysia to advance to the semifinals.
There, they overcame Thailand in a penalty shootout to book their place in the gold medal match for the first time ever. Matched up against Vietnam for the gold, the Filipinas showed their poise in winning another penalty shootout, 6-5, to write their names in history.
Torcaso deflected all credit to his players, praising their determination and drive.
"For me, it's all about the girls. It's all about the time and effort that they put in for our country. And I'm just proud of them and proud of every one of their family members and all our friends and family that are back home in the Philippines as well," he said.
For Torcaso, the Filipinas' performance in the SEA Games is a boost of confidence as they head to the AFC Women's Asian Cup, set for March in Australia.
The Philippines had been drawn with the host nation, South Korea and Iran in Group A of the competition.
"Like we always said that this tournament was about our preparation for the Asian Cup because we knew we were playing against some good teams," Torcaso said.
"Now, we'll rest a little bit and then we have to get ready for the Asian Cup. And we saw how disciplined our girls can be against good teams. And I truly believe that we can do that against Australia, South Korea, and Iran," he added.
"I truly believe that we can do something special there as well and go to another World Cup."
The Women's Asian Cup is the final stage of qualification for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 in Brazil. It also serves as a qualifying stage for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.