kəmpˈiːɾɪŋ ɐɡˈɛnst ðə nˈæʃənəl tʃˈæmpiənz ʌv tɹɐdˈɪʃənəli stɹˈɔŋɡɚ bˈeɪsbɔːl nˈeɪʃənz lˈaɪk dʒəpˈæn, sˈaʊθ kɚɹˈiːə, ænd taɪwˈɑːn, fˌɪlɪpˈiːnoʊ tˈiːmz hɐdbɪn ʌnˈeɪbəl tə kwˈɔlᵻfˌaɪ fɚðɪ ˌɛlˌɛldˌʌbəljˌuːˈɛs.
Competing against the national champions of traditionally stronger baseball nations like Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, Filipino teams had been unable to qualify for the LLWS.