On Tuesday, Philippines' Coach Alen Stajcic is endorsing his Women's World Cup debutants' determination to "crash the party" as they face co-host New Zealand.

Following their victory against Norway in the tournament opener, New Zealand is in high spirits, breaking a 15-game winless streak at Women's World Cups since 1991.

Despite their 2-0 loss to Switzerland in the first game of the finals, the Philippines displayed resilience and proved to be a formidable opponent.

With a capacity crowd anticipated in Wellington, mainly supporting the home side, Coach Alen Stajcic, an Australian, emphasized the need to tune out the noise and embrace the atmosphere.

“You have to go out there and give it your best shot, so as motivating as it will be for New Zealand, it is for our team as well.”

Under Stajcic's leadership since 2021, the Philippines has experienced a remarkable ascent in the FIFA rankings, climbing from 68th to its all-time highest position of 46th.The turning point came during the Women's Asian Cup last year, where the team reached the semifinals, narrowly losing to South Korea but earning a historic qualification for the World Cup.

In a friendly match last September, New Zealand secured a narrow 2-1 victory against the Philippines, which, according to Stajcic, proved beneficial for his team's development.

“We want to crash the party. It’s not really their party — it’s everyone’s, ours as well. Football in all our countries is not number one — in the Philippines, New Zealand or Australia — so we need to do everything we can to bolster support for women’s football.”

While the majority of the stadium will undoubtedly rally behind the Football Ferns on Tuesday, the Philippines team can also count on substantial support in Wellington, given the presence of a sizable Filipino community in New Zealand.

“It’s been exciting knowing that even in these games, a few hours’ plane ride from Manila, to have that type of support means everything in the world knowing that the country is backing us, It’s that kind of extra support that we need to keep on going for the full 90 minutes." Katrina Guillou statement.