Future Thai defender: Nathan James' statistics in his debut match for Thailand U23 at the Asian Football Championship.
On 8 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Nathan James made his official debut for the Thailand U23 national team in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship group stage, Group D, first match. The “War Elephants” U23, coached by “Coach Wang” Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, unfortunately lost 1-2 to Australia U23 despite taking the lead 1-0.
Although the result was disappointing, Nathan James earned considerable praise from fans. The Thai-English defender, who trained in youth academies of English clubs Leicester City, Burnley, and Barnsley, showed strong chemistry with Vision Inaram.
He stood out in defense with a fierce and robust English-style approach. At 190 centimeters tall, his imposing physique gave him an advantage in defense—whether building from the back, positioning, or tackling—matching opponents without disadvantage.
Played 90 minutes
46 ball touches
35 passes
Pass accuracy of 88.6%
Won 1 challenge
3 blocks
Thailand U23's next match will be against Iraq U23 in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship Group D second group stage match at Prince Faisal bin Fahad Sports City Stadium, Saudi Arabia, on 11 January 2026 at 21:00 GMT+7. The match will be broadcast live on YouTube: BG SPORTS.