Failure of Thai football
For the first time in history, the Thai women's team failed to qualify for the 2026 Asian Women's Football Championship - Australia, ending nine consecutive appearances.
This defeat also forced Thailand to be a spectator at the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil - the top target of Madam Pang, or billionaire Nualphan Lamsam.
As president of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), Madam Pang set a goal of taking the women's team to the 2026 Asian Cup and the 2027 World Cup. The mission failed.
“ I sincerely apologize to Thai women's football fans , ” Madam Pang wrote in a letter to fans .
“ There are no excuses from the Federation, the coaching staff, the coaches , the players , including me… We have to accept defeat and it's time to start over . ”
Another task is also very difficult: the Thai men's team may miss the 2027 Asian Cup.
Recently, failures on the field have caused Thailand to fall out of the FIFA top 100 for the first time in a year. This has made the media and fans unhappy.
In that context, U23 Thailand is expected to be able to save the honor of Thai football in the Southeast Asian U23 Championship (or U23 ASEAN Championship 2025).
Young Thai players are training intensively under coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul – nicknamed Wang – ahead of the event which kicks off on July 15 in Indonesia.
Mr. Thawatchai said that U23 Vietnam and host U23 Indonesia are candidates for the championship title. This way of speaking is to avoid putting pressure on the U23 Thai players.
In recent days, Mr. Thawatchai has focused on building tactics for U23 Thailand, along with cohesion in playing style. He wants the players to quickly integrate and grasp the playing system smoothly.
Young player determination
Phanthamit Praphanth, who is on the list of 23 members officially registered with AFF (Asean Football Federation), expressed confidence.
“Competing and training during this period is like a physical preparation before the season, helping to improve physical condition significantly,” Phanthamit shared.
“I am very confident and will try my best to help the team achieve the best results. My goal is to take the team as far as possible, especially to the final,” he emphasized.
Thiraphat Puethong , the youngest player in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 squad (18), said: “I am very happy to wear the Thailand U23 shirt, and am trying to adapt to Coach Wang's system as quickly as possible.
Practicing twice a day helps me understand tactics better, and at the same time, I have the opportunity to learn from my seniors in the team."
While training in Japan, Thiraphat had the opportunity to meet Supachok Sarachat and received many tips for the Southeast Asian tournament.
“Chek (Supachok's nickname) gave me a lot of advice, especially about the winger role, which requires high intensity and attention to detail. I try to develop myself according to his instructions.”
U23 Thailand has the face Seksan Ratree who is no stranger to football fans in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
The 22-year-old player started the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final, which the War Elephants lost 1-2 to Vietnam at Viet Tri Stadium (he came on as a substitute in the second leg). This is the hope to make a difference.
Coach Thawatchai maintained high intensity training and only flew to Indonesia on July 14. U23 Thailand was in the same group as U23 Timor-Leste and U23 Malaysia.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u23-dong-nam-a-2025-bong-da-thai-lan-go-danh-du-hay-thua-tiep-2420545.html
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