Hudson's picks for the Thai national team's opponents in the 2027 Asian Cup after the draw pot reveal (Video). (Note: "Hudson" is the coach's name.)
On 21 April 2026, Anthony Hudson, head coach of the Thai national team, shared his views on preferred opponents for the 2027 Asian Cup final round during the "Clear Rim Sen" program on Thairath Sport. This follows the "War Elephants" qualifying as one of 24 teams competing in Saudi Arabia from 7 January to 5 February next year.
Pot 1
- Saudi Arabia (61) *host, Japan (18), Iran (21), South Korea (25), Australia (27), Uzbekistan (50)
Pot 2
- Qatar (55), Iraq (57), Jordan (63), UAE (68), Oman (79), Syria (84)
Pot 3
- Bahrain (91), Thailand (93), China (94), Palestine (95), Vietnam (99), Tajikistan (103)
Pot 4
- Kyrgyzstan (107), Lebanon (108) or Yemen (149), North Korea (118), Indonesia (122), Kuwait (134), Singapore (147)
Anthony Hudson's choices for Thai national team opponents to maximize chances of advancing to the knockout stage in the 2027 Asian Cup, with his reasoning:
- Middle Eastern nations are tough to face and also receive outside support, while Uzbekistan is a strong team. Japan is very strong. Australia, however, can be inconsistent—some games good, some not. If possible, facing Australia would be better.
- For team development purposes, Japan would be the preferred choice.
- This pot is filled with strong Middle Eastern countries, but if possible, he wants to face Oman or Syria. If a third choice is available, it would be Qatar, as Hudson knows they have talented players and excellent backups.
- For team development, Jordan would be the preferred choice.
- For the best chance to advance, he would pick Lebanon or Yemen, or Kyrgyzstan.
- The strongest team in Pot 4 is Indonesia.
The 2027 Asian Cup draw will take place on 9 May. The Lebanon vs Yemen match in Group B of the third qualifying round has been postponed to 4 June due to the Middle East conflict.
