7s Football looking to take the big leap for 2023

MANILA, Philippines – After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 7s Football Tournament returned with a vengeance this 2022 with their regular tournament and the 2nd Kampeon Cup — the national version of the former — to great success.

But to 7s Philippines founder Anton del Rosario, “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Next year — 2023 — sees a full calendar of events.

The main 7s Football Tournament that is held at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig as well as in other regions of the country will kick off in February.

The Asia 7s — the first international tournament for seven-a-side football — will be held in March with at least four other countries participating and flying to Manila to compete.

That will be followed by the national Kampeon Cup, which will involve a women’s tournament for the first time. 

Cebu is the defending back-to-back champion for the men’s division.

And lastly, there’s the One Million-Dollar Take All Tournament where the Philippines will send a representative to this tournament that will be held in North Carolina in the United States.

“If 3x3 basketball has taken off, so has seven-a-side football that is played in smaller places but is at a faster pace,” said del Rosario, who himself played futsal alongside his national team 11-a-side football duties. 

“What I like about next year’s developments is how we, the Philippines, are at the center of all these events. We are a major part. And this helps the growth of football in the country.”

More details will be announced in the next few days regarding all the tournaments for 2023.