Next time, no room for error!! This is the message after Thailand's futsal team missed their target in the 2026 AFC Futsal Championship.
The 2026 AFC Futsal Championship in Indonesia has determined the four semifinalists.
The semifinal matches are scheduled for Thursday, 5 Feb 2026 GMT+7.
Iran, the defending champions, will face Iraq at 15:00 GMT+7.
The host nation, Indonesia, which reached the semifinals for the first time in history, will play Japan at 19:00 GMT+7.
Unfortunately, Thailand's futsal team fell short of their goal in this tournament.
They lost to Iraq 2-4 in the quarterfinal match.
This marks another heartbreak and missed opportunity in two major events.
They missed out on the SEA Games gold medal on home soil late last year.
Then they stumbled again, being eliminated by Iraq in the knockout stage of the Asian championship.
This elimination may disappoint futsal fans due to a noticeable drop in performance compared to the three group stage matches.
The main problem was defensive play, with poor marking and frequent lapses in concentration.
Meanwhile, Iraq's team is formidable, showing experience and tenacity.
Their swift and sharp counterattacks punished every mistake by Thailand immediately.
This difference in execution decided the outcome in a game where both teams had similar potential.
I admire the coach, “Coach Mee” Rukpol Sainetngam.
He fully accepted responsibility for the loss without blaming anyone else.
He said the defeat had nothing to do with the playing conditions; it depended on our team's tactics and performance.
He also cited the players' psychological state as a factor.
Looking at fans' comments, most understand Coach Mee's efforts.
He only returned to lead the national team 20 days before the competition.
They think reaching this stage is respectable, and with more time to develop, things should improve.
Thailand's futsal now urgently needs serious development to regain its former standards.
The problem seems to be that younger players have not matured quickly enough to replace recently retired veterans.
This stems from a lack of youth national teams for several years; only last year did they restart building U16 and U19 squads.
Relying solely on “Jao Med” Muhammad Usman Musa as the team's sole star is unrealistic.
Additionally, there have been no recent overseas training camps or friendly matches for the senior team.
This is very important because it would expose Thai futsal players to new experiences, helping them improve rapidly.
These challenges are well understood by the top leader, “Big Pom” Adisak Benjasiriwan.
He is trying to find solutions and improvements by all possible means.
Everything takes time and requires full support from the football association president, “Madam Pang” Nualphan Lamsam.
I believe Thai futsal will improve significantly given the knowledge and leadership currently in place.
So, although this AFC Futsal Championship ended with failure, it is not too damaging.
But for the next Asian Cup in 2028, there must be no mistakes whatsoever.
From now until then, everything possible must be done quickly to fix and improve.
Qualification for the 8th FIFA Futsal World Cup is the big prize at stake.
It will determine whether Thai futsal is moving forward or slipping backward.
There is no room for complacency or failure now.
- Bee Bangpakong -