In the final match of Group B, despite having home field advantage and being rated higher, the Thai women's team still lost 1-2 to India, thereby losing the right to participate in the 2026 Women's Asian Cup finals.

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Thailand women's team (blue shirt) lost to India and lost the ticket to the 2026 Asian Cup finals - Photo: FAT

Previously, they had won big against East Timor 4-0, Iraq 7-0 and Mongolia 11-0, but those victories became meaningless as only the group leader qualified for the next round, and Thailand finished second behind India - the team that won all four matches.

This is the first time in history that the Thai women's team has been eliminated from the Asian Cup qualifiers, besides three times not participating in the past.

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Final Group B rankings - Photo: FAT

This shows the clear decline of Thai women's football, a team that was once the pride of Southeast Asia with two appearances at the World Cup (2015, 2019) and reached the semi-finals of the 2018 Asian Cup.

This defeat also means that Thailand will not be able to participate in a series of major tournaments such as the 2026 Asian Cup, the 2028 Olympics and especially the 2027 Women's World Cup - the tournament where they once dreamed of repeating the old miracle.

Thus, in Southeast Asia, only Vietnam and the Philippines are the two teams that have won tickets to the 2026 Women's Asian Cup Finals.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/thai-lan-thua-dau-an-do-lan-dau-khong-vuot-qua-vong-loai-asian-cup-2418678.html