"Hudson" points out that the favorite to win the 2026 ASEAN Cup is not the Thailand national team after 24 players have reported for duty.
On 14 July 2026 at 13:30 GMT+7, at Novotel Future Park Rangsit Hotel, the Thailand men's national football team reported for training to prepare for the 2026 ASEAN Football Championship.
The reporting session was led by Anthony Hudson, head coach of the Thailand national team, along with 24 players. However, Patrick Gustafsson will join the team later on 5 August.
Anthony Hudson said, "I informed everyone after announcing the squad and at the FA Awards event with Madam Pang (Nualphan Lamsam), the association president, that our goal with this mixed squad is to do our best and progress as far as possible."
"From my perspective, Thailand is not the favorite to win this tournament due to various factors, such as Vietnam, which has been preparing for about 3-4 weeks, and Singapore as well. Overall, I am satisfied with the squad we currently have. Our goal now is to give our best."
"I believe we cannot overlook the Vietnam national team because, as we know, they have had a long preparation period, paused their league to accommodate this, and have their best players participating. This statement is not to put pressure on them, but based on the facts, theoretically, we really cannot overlook them."
The ASEAN Cup 2026, or the 2026 ASEAN Football Championship, has Thailand placed in Group B alongside Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, and Laos (Lao PDR). The match schedule is as follows:
On 25 July 2026,
at 20:00 GMT+7, Laos (Lao PDR) vs. Thailand,
at the Laos National Stadium, Main Field 16.
On 1 August 2026,
at 20:00 GMT+7, Thailand vs. Malaysia,
at Rajamangala National Stadium.
On 4 August 2026,
at 20:00 GMT+7, Philippines vs. Thailand,
at New Clark City Athletics Stadium.
On 8 August 2026,
at 20:00 GMT+7, Thailand vs. Myanmar,
at Rajamangala National Stadium.
Broadcast live on: TrueVisions Now application.
The semi-finals and finals will be played in a home-and-away format. The semi-finals will take place on 15-16 August 2026 and 18-19 August 2026, while the finals will be contested on 22 August and 26 August 2026.