Thai women's volleyball has declined in the past 2 years - Photo: NAM TRAN
Once approaching world- class level, the Thai women's volleyball team is facing a clear decline after many years of maintaining a position in the "core" group of the FIVB Nations League (VNL).
Used to be a force at VNL
Since the FIVB Nations League was launched in 2018, Thailand has been one of the few Asian representatives in the “core teams” group – teams that are granted regular participation without having to go through the qualifying round.
This is a group protected by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to ensure commercial stability, television and professional quality.
In the early stages, Thailand maintained a fairly stable performance. They often ranked in the middle of the table in VNL, while affirming their position as the number 1 women's volleyball team in Southeast Asia through many international tournaments.
In the 2022 tournament, Thailand entered the top 8 of the group stage for the first time, thereby winning a ticket to the quarterfinals. This is considered a glorious milestone in the history of Thai women's volleyball, showing that they are at the top 10 level in the world.
However, since the 2022 VNL, signs of decline have gradually become clear. The team can no longer create surprises against strong opponents, and the ability to win against mid-level teams has also decreased.
Recent poor results at VNL
In the 2023 VNL season, Thailand only won 2 out of 12 group stage matches, ranking 14/16. In 2024, the situation is not much better.
They continued to lose most of their matches, especially the big defeats against Japan, Canada and even the Netherlands – the team that was temporarily relegated from the VNL.
Poor performance has caused Thailand to gradually lose important FIVB points, pushing them down to 19th in the world by mid-2025.
Stars like Pornpun Guedpard are gradually losing their form - Photo: TT
Part of the reason why Thailand is still present in VNL despite its decline is thanks to the tournament’s “closed” mechanism. Of the 16 teams participating in VNL each year, up to 12 “core” teams are reserved to compete every season, regardless of the results.
There are only four spots available for challenger teams. And of these, only one team is relegated each year – the team with the worst record in the challenger group.
Thanks to being the core team from the beginning, Thailand is not in the relegation zone so they can still participate in VNL in the following years despite their declining performance.
However, the FIVB is considering reforming the tournament structure, possibly eliminating some reserved spots to increase competition. If that happens, Thailand's spot will no longer be guaranteed.
It is worth noting the case of the French team. Despite not having a core squad, they have broken through the world rankings thanks to systematic investment and good results in the European tournament.
Thanks to that, France was given a special entry into the 2025 VNL after rising to 14th place in the world. This is clear evidence that teams outside the VNL can absolutely “squeeze” into the tournament.
Thai women's volleyball is facing many challenges. The main generation of players such as Chatchu-on Moksri, Ajcharaporn Kongyot and Pornpun Guedpard are gradually passing their peak. Meanwhile, the next generation has not shown a commensurate inheritance in terms of technique, tactics and competitive mentality.
In this year's tournament, Thailand is currently ranked 16th out of 18 teams after the first 2 weeks of competition. The Thai women's volleyball team still has 4 more matches to hope to improve their position, but it is almost impossible to repeat the miracle of entering the top 8.
Thailand's rare bright spot in this year's tournament was the 2-3 loss to Japan. They even led 2-0, but then regrettably lost.
Week 3 of the tournament will begin on July 9.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bong-chuyen-nu-thai-lan-sa-sut-nguy-co-vang-khoi-giai-top-dau-the-gioi-20250628131613575.htm
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