Coach Wang, Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, has boldly declared that the Thailand men’s national football team is pursuing its first SEA Games gold medal in 8 years for the 2025 event.
On 21 Oct 2025, as Thailand prepares to host the 33rd SEA Games, expectations are high for excellence across all sports. Even in disciplines unlikely to win gold, performance and records must improve. Meanwhile, in men’s football, a popular sport, Dr. Kongsak Yodmanee, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), anticipates a gold medal, considering it a major achievement. This time, the “War Elephants” will chase their first football gold in eight years.
Dr. Kongsak Yodmanee, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), revealed that Thailand will host the 33rd SEA Games from 9-20 December 2025. This major sports event will feature 50 sports across three provinces: Bangkok, Chonburi, and Songkhla. The Games will emphasize international standards, with cooperation from all Thai sports associations to ensure top-quality competitions. Expectations for all sports are for the best possible results, including Olympic sports like taekwondo, weightlifting, and badminton. In core sports such as athletics and swimming, even if gold medals are not won, improved performances and records are expected. Popular sports like football and volleyball also carry high hopes, especially football, where a gold medal is eagerly anticipated by fans wanting to see the “War Elephants” reclaim the top spot.
In the men’s football tournament at the 33rd SEA Games, the Thailand national team, led by Coach Wang, Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, is drawn in Group A alongside Cambodia and Timor-Leste. The group stage matches will be held at Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla province.
"Every match in the SEA Games is crucial, no matter the opponent, because the sole goal is to win the gold medal. Since this is our home Games, if we prepare thoroughly and train well, the chances are very high that we will succeed," Coach Wang said.
The Thailand men’s football team, known as the “War Elephants,” holds the record for the most SEA Games gold medals in men’s football with 16 titles. They also set a remarkable record by winning eight consecutive golds from the 17th to the 24th SEA Games (1993-2007). The most recent gold medal was at the 29th SEA Games in Malaysia in 2017, where they defeated the host nation 1-0 in the final. At the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia in 2023, Thailand earned the silver medal after losing 2-5 to Indonesia in the final.
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