PFF to hold Copa Paulino Alcantara in November as PFL cancels 2021 season

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) is set to hold its national cup competition, also known as the Copa Paulino Alcantara, in lieu of the cancelled 2021 season of the Philippines Football League (PFL).

The competition, which was named after Filipino football legend Paulino Alcantara, will kick off on November 7 at the PFF National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.

PFL Commissioner Coco Torre has already informed the clubs regarding the league cancellation as well as the staging of the Cup during a virtual meeting held last 18 October.

“As much as we would have wanted to stage the PFL season, certain key conditions were not met, which forced us to defer the league season for next year,” said PFF president Mariano "Nonong" Araneta. “In its place, the PFF will stage the Copa Paulino Alcantara. We are one with the fans who miss football being played in the country during this pandemic.”

The Cup will consist of a knock-out stage and a group stage, where six clubs will be divided into two groups of three with the top two teams earning berths to the knockout stage.

The losers of the semifinal round will battle it out for third place while the winners face each other in the finals match.

Organizers also bared that the competition will be held under a closed-circuit bubble with two matches played at the venue every two days. The tournament is set to run until November 19. — LA, GMA News