Before the official Thai New Year Songkran festival begins
On Sunday, 12 Apr 2026 GMT+7, the focus of Thai football fans nationwide is expected to be at Thammasat Stadium.
There, the quarterfinal match of the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup Thailand 2026 will take place, the tournament for the under-20 women's teams across Asia.
The match features Thailand’s young Chaba Kaew U20 women's national team facing the silky-skilled "White Swans," South Korea's national team.
South Korea, one of Asia's top teams, meets Thailand in a knockout match competing for one of four Asian spots to the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in Poland.
This is an opportunity for Thailand's young women players to make history again after 22 years.
Previously, Thailand's U20 women's team participated in the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2004, more than two decades ago, as hosts.
That squad included several famous players such as Orathai Srimanee, Pikul Chuenpetch, Naphat Siserm, and Anootsara Maijarern.
That event marked the beginning that led to the senior Thai women's national team qualifying for two consecutive FIFA Women's World Cups in 2015 and 2019, as witnessed.
Since the first step in preparing the Thai U20 women's national team under coach Nueng, Nuengrutai Srathongvian,
the Football Association of Thailand under Madam Pang Nualphan Lamsam has seriously invested in every detail of team preparation.
They have sent the team for training camps and friendly matches to gain experience with top teams in Australia and Turkey.
Then they returned triumphantly to claim their third ASEAN championship on Vietnamese soil last year.
This has immediately made them one of Thailand's hopeful teams to compete in the World Cup.
Besides their well-rounded skills and complete preparations following the planned strategy,
the advantage of familiar environment, climate, and home crowd support at this Asian Championship is significant.
These factors suggest Thailand has a good chance to secure a World Cup spot, comparable to other leading Asian nations.
In the group stage, they earned 6 points by defeating Bangladesh and ASEAN rival Vietnam.
They narrowly lost by a single goal to China, a global powerhouse in women's football, which is a respectable performance at this level.
Key players expected to lead the battle against South Korea include:
“Nong Gym” Rinyaphat Mooldong, the strong team captain,
“Messi Kate” Kulisara Limpavanich, a 17-year-old promising striker,
Natchanok Kosolsaksakul, an experienced forward,
Vivian Dieter, a Thai-German defender,
and many others ready to emerge as team heroes at any moment.
Certainly, South Korea is a formidable wall that Thailand must overcome
to advance to the World Cup in Poland.
While an upset in women's football is rare,
it is not impossible.
In a knockout match, anything can happen.
Especially with Thailand playing at home in the hot April climate,
even the fit South Korean players are likely to struggle.
Thailand's football momentum is rising — the national team recently defeated Turkey,
and Bangkok United just beat Gamba Osaka in Japan.
So why can't Thailand’s women’s team topple South Korea and reach the World Cup as well?
This Sunday night, let's cheer together to make history!!!
- Bee Bangpakong -