Will they help move forward or not!?
The 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup has its final matchup set.
Japan's young Samurai players, the reigning champions, have advanced to defend their title as expected.
They will face the Dragon's nation players, China, who crushed the SEA Games champions Vietnam 3-0.
China's unexpected advance to the final is a historic first, having never even passed the group stage before.
Moreover, they have kept a clean sheet in five matches so far, not conceding a single goal.
This immediately made me think of Thailand’s U23 team, because in their last group match, they fought China very closely.
Overall, Thailand's attacking play even looked better than that of the mainland Chinese players.
It’s a pity they missed the final chance to score; otherwise, the Thai players would have advanced instead of China.
Also unfortunate is that in this Asian Cup, we had no key weapons to challenge our opponents decisively.
This was because clubs refused to release their main players for national duty, as it was not a FIFA international window.
That’s why the team management, led by Coach Wang Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, had to field mostly young players for the Saudi Arabia tournament—almost half the team.
At first, fans had resigned themselves to the idea that Thailand would likely be the group's point donors and had low expectations.
But once the tournament began, Coach Wang’s young War Elephants players showed surprisingly strong performances.
They united and fought hard against all three opponents—Australia, Iraq, and China—each considered stronger on paper.
In the end, Thailand showed all nations that they could compete with anyone, with no team clearly superior.
They kept their hopes alive for advancing until the very last match, as seen.
This is a credit to Coach Wang and his entire staff for managing the team well.
They have nurtured this squad to perform proudly on the Asian stage.
It proves the standard of Thai football—that despite many obstacles and problems,
we are not inferior to anyone at the continental level.
It is therefore appropriate for the Football Association executives and technical staff, led by Dr. Chanwit Pholchwin,
to evaluate Coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul’s performance.
Including his staff, consisting of Coach Choke Chokthawee Phromrat, Coach K Pa Sa Meesattham, and Coach Beer Thanapat Na Thapra.
They should be offered contract extensions through to the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in late September.
At least with eight months of preparation left, the Thai team won’t have to start over if a coaching change occurred.
Because Coach Wang and his staff already have complete data on this player generation.
They are ready to immediately begin long-term team planning.
Coach Wang told me that nearly all these Thai players have excellent skills, matching anyone in Asia.
Combined with the U20 national team players, we can look ahead to Olympic qualification if well prepared.
For the Asian Games, the goal is to advance as far as possible.
We can use three over-23 players, and when the time comes, we will decide which positions to strengthen.
The Asian Games coincide with a FIFA international window,
which should facilitate cooperation from all clubs to release players we need.
If possible, I will try to call up Eravan Ganier, who plays in France, to strengthen the squad.
If he is fit, physically ready, and released by his club, he would definitely make the team stronger.
Also, Jude Sumthap Bell is still eligible for this age group; if interested, I would like to bring him in as well.
Checking the calendar, we have two FIFA windows for friendlies in March and June, including a four-nation tournament in China, which will greatly benefit the players.
At the same time, we will try to bring players from each club together for national team training once a month.
This will help everyone understand the playing system and also spot new promising young talents.
I understand that the association plans to seriously organize U21 and U19 leagues this year, spreading them regionally.
This is good news, as it will provide more resources and choices for the new generation of Thai national teams.
Coach Wang also emphasized that if Thai football hopes to reach the Olympics or World Cup soon,
everything does not depend on any one person but on all of us in the Thai football community.
Will we help move forward or not? That's the key!!!
- Bee Bangpakong -