Entering May, it is truly a time full of hope for Thailand's youth football teams, both male and female, in the U17 category.
The young female players of the U17 Chaba Kaew team are currently competing in the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup in Suzhou, Mainland China.
They started their first match by conceding a late equalizer to Vietnam, resulting in a 2-2 draw and missing out on the valuable three points, much to their regret.
The only chance to advance to the knockout stage and compete for a ticket to the U17 Women's World Cup in Morocco is to decisively beat Myanmar in their second match this afternoon (4 May).
This match will be broadcast live via YouTube on the AFC Asian Cup channel and BG Sports at 14:30 Thai time.
Meanwhile, the U17 men's national team carries the highest hopes to secure one of the eight slots to compete in the U17 World Cup finals in Qatar later this year.
They are currently based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, preparing for the competition.
This is in preparation for the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 tournament.
Historically, Thailand's U17 team has made history by qualifying for the FIFA U17 World Cup twice in a row.
These achievements took place during the tenure of Ajarn Wijit Ketkaew as president of the Football Association of Thailand.
The first time, the team was runner-up in Asia in Chiang Mai, with the famed duo “Book-Bert” Bamrung Boonprom and Suthee Suksomkit as stars.
Coach Charngwit Pholchivin was recorded as the first Thai coach to lead the national team to the World Cup finals in Egypt in 1997.
The second occasion came two years later, when the Thai youth team surprisingly won the Asian championship in Qatar.
This success was under the management of “Natiik” Somchat Yimsiri, one of Thailand's top football masters.
However, that team is not widely remembered due to its reputation as “overage players”.
Most players were above the age limit, which led to a major AFC crackdown.
Eventually, the U17 team had to rebuild entirely with properly aged players to compete at the 1999 World Cup in New Zealand.
This brought recognition to players like Natthaporn Panrit, Suree Sukha, Pichitphong Choeichiu, Kosin Hathairattanakool, and young “Leeso” Theerathep Winothai.
It was a proud time for me as a reporter for Thairath's sports section, alongside senior journalist Wai Denchai from Suphanburi.
We covered the Thai U17 national team at both World Cups at the pyramids and in New Zealand.
From then until now, 27 full years have passed without any Thai men's national team qualifying again for the World Cup.
It can be said that the path of Thai players and the World Cup have run parallel but never intersected since.
This situation began when the AFC seriously tightened and enforced age verification for youth players across Asia.
Until FIFA reignited hope for Thailand and all Asian nations by increasing Asia's quota to eight teams for the U17 World Cup for five consecutive tournaments.
This means that any team reaching the final round of the Asian Championship, if they finish as champion or runner-up in their group, will automatically qualify for the U17 World Cup in Qatar.
Last year, the Thai youth team had a chance in Saudi Arabia but failed to advance past the first round, missing the opportunity.
This second time reaching the Asian final round, the Thai Football Association is expected to have gained more experience.
They have learned from last year's preparation mistakes and identified any weaknesses in the Junior War Elephants squad.
In Group A, besides the host Saudi Arabia, which is a strong contender,
the other two teams, Tajikistan and Myanmar, fellow ASEAN members, are teams Thailand believes it can compete well against.
I have confidence in the preparation and tactical planning of German coach Marco Gockel.
He has a more complete squad than during the qualifiers, with several additional players to choose from.
These include “Captain Pup” Pornmet Laongdee, a forward from Bangkok Christian of STB Academy, bringing experience as he chases his second World Cup ticket.
Also, the twin brothers Phanuwich and Phanupong Jaikom from Buriram, who add sharpness to this national team.
The AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 group stage schedule for Thailand in Group A is as follows:
Tuesday night, 5 May 2026: Tajikistan vs. Thailand at 00:30 (half past midnight Thai time).
Saturday night, 9 May 2026: Thailand vs. Saudi Arabia at 00:00 (midnight Thai time).
Tuesday night, 12 May 2026: Thailand vs. Myanmar at 00:00 (midnight Thai time).
Thai football fans can watch live broadcasts and support our Junior War Elephants on YouTube via BG Sports.
Will this be Thailand's third World Cup appearance in nearly three decades?
Just from the first match, we might already get a good idea!
- B Bangpakong -