The 2023 Copa Paulino Alcantara was the fifth edition of the
Copa Paulino Alcantara
The Copa Paulino Alcantara, also known as the PFL Cup, is an annual association football, football tournament in Philippines, sanctioned by the Philippine Football Federation. The cup's first iteration began on September 1, 2018. It replaced the P ...
, the domestic football cup competition of the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. The 2023 edition marks the second time that the cup includes non-PFL teams, with the first being the inclusion of the
Philippines U22 as a guest team in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
.
Scheduling
The league is set to begin on July 15, 2023.
[ Prior to 2023, the typical schedule would see the Copa being played after the conclusion of that year's ]Philippines Football League
The Philippines Football League, commonly known as PFL, is a Philippines, Filipino professional association football, football league sanctioned by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF). It is the Philippines, Philippines' highest level of men ...
season, with the league shifting to an inter-year format.
On June 17, the PFL confirmed the venues for the competition, namely Rizal Memorial Stadium
The Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium (simply known as the Rizal Memorial Stadium; officially the Simeon Toribio Track Stadium) is the main stadium of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, Philippines. It served as the main stad ...
in Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
, University of Makati Stadium in Makati
Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines.
Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentratio ...
, and Biñan Football Stadium
The Biñan Football Stadium is a track and field and football venue in Biñan, Laguna, Philippines.
On October 28, 2015, the Biñan city government and the Philippine Football Federation signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing that the ...
in Biñan
Biñan (), officially the City of Biñan ( fil, Lungsod ng Biñan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 407,437 people.
Biñan, also known as Biniang, has be ...
, Laguna, marking the competition's first time to do so since the 2019 edition, as the other two were primarily held in the PFF National Training Center
The PFF National Training Center or the National Football Center is a football ground at the San Lazaro Leisure and Business Park in Carmona, Cavite.
History
Plans to construct a football facility in Carmona, Cavite were announced as early as ...
due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
.
Participating teams
Seventeen teams entered the 2023 Copa Paulino Alcantara. All seven clubs of the ongoing Philippines Football League were expected to participate. Before the resumption of the PFL season, United City
United City is a group of businesses based within Greater Manchester, England, who supported proposals for congestion charging in Greater Manchester via the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund bid for £3 billion. The bid was reject ...
withdrew from the season in February 2023. The Azkals Development Team
The Azkals Development Team, commonly referred to as ADT, is a Philippine developmental football club that competes in the Philippines Football League.
Founded in 2020, the team is under the control of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) ...
also withdrew prior to the end of the season.
Format
Competition
The PFL confirmed the participation of 17 teams just before the draw on June 17, 2023, the most in the competition's history. The 17 teams would be split into three groups (two groups of six and one group of five) with clubs from three pots. The format of the group stage would see teams play a single round robin just as in previous editions, before the group winners and runners-up, as well as the two best third-placers, qualify for the knockout stage.
The knockout stage of the 2023 edition comprises the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. The quarterfinals and semifinals would be two-legged, marking a difference from the previous editions, while the final would be held over a single match. The league had also established beforehand which teams would play each other based on the positions they finished in, eliminating the need for a knockout stage draw. The quarterfinals would see 1st place in group A taking on the 2nd-best third-placed team, the 1st place of group B taking on the best third-placed team, 1st place in group C taking on 2nd place of group B, and the 2nd-placed teams in group A and C facing off.
Draw
The group stage draw took place on June 17, 2023, with 17 teams confirmed to be competing from the 20-team shortlist. The 5 teams from the Philippines Football League were pre-allocated slots in the three groups, while the other 12 teams were separated into three pots. Pot 1 contained the amateur teams, including youth teams Tuloy and Don Bosco Garelli, former PFL club Loyola (then known as Meralco Manila), 7's Football League
The 7's Football League (7s FL), also known as the AIA 7's Football League due to sponsorship with insurance company AIA Philippines, is a seven-a-side football league in the Philippines. Established in 2018, the league already had four seasons ...
clubs Manila Digger and Pilipinas Dragons, as well as newly established Inter Manila (renamed CF Manila after the draw). Pot 2 contained teams from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), established in 1938, is an athletic association of eight Metro Manila universities in the Philippines. The eight-member schools are Adamson University (AdU), Ateneo de Manila Univers ...
, with only three - Adamson University, Far Eastern University, and University of the Philippines - comprising the final participants. Pot 3 contained the teams from the Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ( fil, Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The ...
, with former PFL club and UFL champions Philippine Air Force and once-UFL third placers Philippine Army competing. The pots are shown below:
Group stage
Group A
Group B
Group C
Ranking of third-placed teams
The two best third-placed teams from the three groups advance to the knockout stage along with the three group winners and runners-up. Due to Group B only having 5 teams, results against the last-placed team in Groups A and C will not be counted when determining the ranking of runners-up.
Knockout stage
The teams that qualify for the knock-out stage are allocated a spot based on their position within the group and as a third placer, as determined by the draw on June 17. A third place match was supposed to be held on the same day as the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
* Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
, but was later cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.
Quarter-finals
The first quarter-final legs were played on September 29 and 30, with the second legs played on October 8 and 9.
Semi-finals
The first semi-final legs were played on October 19 while the second legs were played on November 3.
Final
The 2023 final was played on 9 December at Rizal Memorial Stadium
The Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium (simply known as the Rizal Memorial Stadium; officially the Simeon Toribio Track Stadium) is the main stadium of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, Philippines. It served as the main stad ...
, the site of the 2018 final.
Top scorers
Awards
Source:
Notes
References
{{2022 in Asian football (AFC)
Copa Paulino Alcantara seasons
2023 in Philippine football