The “2025 Hainan-Hong Kong-Macao-Taiwan Friendship Football League” competition was held in Hainan Province from Friday through Sunday, with a local woman’s football team –Tomoeda WFC – winning this year’s Group B championship, while F.C. Artilheiros Macau secured the second spot in the same group, and Sporting Clube de Macau finished third in the women’ Group A, which set a new record for Macau women’s football in the tournament, according to a statement provided by one of the co-organisers, Macao International Culture and Sports Industries Association (MICSA), on Monday.
The 3-day competition took place at the Chinese Football (Southern) Training Centre at Mission Hills in the provincial capital Haikou.
This year’s league set a record-breaking participation of 38 teams and over 800 players, the women’s segment expanded notably, with the number of teams doubling to eight – three from Macau, three from Hong Kong, and two from Hainan, fostering a more competitive regional exchange landscape, the statement noted.
F.C. Artilheiros Macau Director Wong Fok Tin told the Post yesterday at the MICSA headquarters in Nape that the 11-a-side league in Haikou provided local women’s football teams with an invaluable learning experience, aiming to help players and coaches broaden their horizons and gain exposure to higher levels of competition, and allow local players to gain firsthand experience in the intensity and pace of high-level external competitions, helping them identify gaps between their current abilities and standards elsewhere.
Wong noted that his team is focusing on preparing for Macau’s first-ever women’s 11-a-side football match, which is set to be played next month, adding that a significant shift is being made locally from 8-a-side and 5-a-side formats to the full 11-a-side game, aligning Macau’s football development with international standards.
Regarding the biggest challenge facing Macau, Wong pointed out, is that due to the severe shortage of field resources, unstable training schedules have consistently disrupted regular practice sessions. Therefore, he suggested that the Sports Bureau (ID) provide more policy support, such as establishing dedicated field rental time slots exclusively for women’s teams.
F.C. Artilheiros Macau Director Wong Fok Tin poses after yesterday’s Post interview at the Macao International Culture and Sports Industries Association’s headquarters in Nape. – Photo: Ida Cheong
This photo provided by the organisers on Monday shows the women’s football team Tomeada WFC posing for a group photo with their medals and trophy during the third tournament day of “2025 Hainan-Hong Kong-Macao-Taiwan Friendship Football League” at the Chinese Football (Southern) Training Centre in the Mission Hills of Haikou, the capital city of Hainan Province.
