Why "Theerathon, Ben, and Weerathep" are not selected for Thailand's national team in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026.
Anthony Hudson, head coach of Thailand's national team, gave a clear statement on this matter.
Regarding "Theerathon":
"I really like Theerathon and have consistently called him up in the past. But honestly, after discussions with his club and Theerathon himself, given the heavy schedule with both club and national team commitments, plus his age and physical condition, he needs rest to recover and avoid long-term injury. So we decided to rest him for this camp and focus on upcoming tournaments like the King's Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup."
Regarding "Ben Davis and Weerathep":
"Actually, this is a good problem to have in midfield due to strong competition. Considering the 6-week preparation for the current ASEAN Cup squad, changing the entire midfield lineup might make adaptation difficult. Some midfielders in the ASEAN Cup have performed exceptionally well. We tried to call up both Ben Davis and Weerathep for the ASEAN Cup but they couldn't join."
"As for Ben Davis, he is a skillful dribbler with great quality and has the potential to become the best midfielder in the country in the future. We've already discussed this privately between the coach and Ben. The main reason is that we want to maintain consistency in the midfield."
In this tournament, Thailand is in Group B with Vietnam, the Philippines, and Pakistan. The group stage will be round-robin, with the group winner advancing to the final. The second place team will compete for third place against the other group's runner-up on 5 October 2026 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The schedule for the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is as follows:
First match:
26 September 2026
16:00 Pakistan vs. Thailand
Venue: Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Bandung, Indonesia
Second match:
29 September 2026
19:30 Thailand vs. Vietnam
Venue: Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Bandung, Indonesia
Third match:
2 October 2026
16:00 Thailand vs. Philippines
Venue: Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Bandung, Indonesia