2023-12-24 08:46:20
The Thai national football team is entering the 2023 Asian Nations Championship, hosted by Qatar, with the aim of regaining memories of its third-place finish in the tournament it hosted on its home soil in 1972.
Qatar will host the 18th session of the Asian Nations, scheduled from January 12 to February 10.
The “War Elephants” team plays in Group Six alongside Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kyrgyzstan.
The team ranked 63rd in the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) rankings in December 2023, while the best position it previously occupied was 43rd in September 1998.
Establishment
The Thai Football Association was founded in 1916, became a member of the International Federation (FIFA) in 1925, then joined the Asian Confederation in 1954, and in 1984 it joined the ASEAN Confederation.
On August 20, 1948, the team played its first international match against China and was defeated by a score of 1-6.
The Thai national team has lifted the ASEAN region championship title 7 times in its history, most recently last year after defeating Indonesia 6-2 on aggregate (won the first leg 4-0, and tied 2-2 in the return).
Asia Cup
The War Elephants team is participating in the Asian Nations Championship for the eighth time in its history, and its third place in the fifth edition in 1972 is considered its best continental achievement.
- 1972 edition in Thailand: They were defeated in the semi-finals by South Korea on penalties, and secured third place by defeating Cambodia in the third-fourth place match.
- 1992 version in Japan: He was eliminated in the first round, tied with Qatar and China, and lost to Saudi Arabia.
- 1996 edition in the UAE: He was eliminated in the first round, after losses to Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq.
- 2000 edition in Lebanon: He was eliminated from the first round, after losing to Iraq and drawing with Iran and Lebanon.
- 2007 edition in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia: He was eliminated from the first round after drawing with Iraq, beating Oman, and losing to Australia.
- 2019 edition in the UAE: He was eliminated in the round of 16 after losing to China 1-2.
Most prominent current players
- Terrasil Dangda, national team captain and Bathum United player (127 international matches, 64 goals).
- Ekanet Banya, Urawa Red Diamonds player (19 caps, 1 goal).
- Chanathip Songkrasin, Pathum United player (63 international matches, 12 goals).
Thai national team coach
On November 22, 2023, Masatada Ishii was appointed technical director of the national team, succeeding Brazilian Alexander Bolking. Ishii (56 years old) became the second Japanese coach for Thailand, after Akira Nishino, who supervised the national team’s training for two years, starting in July 2019.
Congratulations to Masatada Ishii! First Japanese ???????? coach to win the Thai League ???????? ???? pic.twitter.com/dg7prbKnpt
— Thai League Central (@TL_Central) April 10, 2022
Thailand’s matches in Group F of the Asian Nations 2023
January 16:
- Thailand x Kyrgyzstan (Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium).
January 21:
- Thailand x Oman (Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium).
January 25:
- Thailand x Saudi Arabia (Education City Stadium).
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