THE Philippines Football League (PFL) announced in a recent virtual season kick-off that the 2021 season starts with the Copa Paulino Alcantara in April.

The tournament will follow the required health and safety protocols of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), which the PFL also did in its shortened season in 2020.

The successful 2020 PFL season was set inside a “bubble” at the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Training Center in Carmona, Cavite on Oct. 28 to Nov. 12, 2020. A total of six teams competed in the 2020 PFL season and United City Football Club (UCFC) was crowned the League champions after finishing with 12 points from four wins and a loss.

Set to compete in the Copa Paulino Alcantara are UCFC, Kaya FC-Iloilo, Stallion Laguna FC, Mendiola FC, Maharlika Manila FC and Azkals Development Team.

The Copa Paulino Alcantara was originally called the PFL Cup before it was renamed as the Copa Paulino Alcantara, named after the FC Barcelona great Paulino Alcantara, who was a Filipino.

Kaya FC were the inaugural champions in 2018 after beating now-defunct Davao Aguilas, 1-0. Ceres Negros FC, now called UCFC, dethroned Kaya FC-Iloilo, 2-1, to win the title in 2019. (EKA)