The Football Association of Thailand reviewed the SEA Games results and set short- and long-term plans ahead of the U23 Asian Championship early next year.
On 23 December 2025, the Football Association of Thailand held a meeting to review the men's football competition at the 33rd SEA Games, while preparing plans for the upcoming major tournament, the U23 Asian Championship finals, scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia from 6–24 January 2026.
The meeting was chaired by Dr. Charnwit Polcheewin, the association's vice president, along with Air Force Commander Piyapong Piwa-on, a board member, Ekaphon Polnavee, the association's secretary-general, as well as Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul (Coach Wang), head coach of the Thailand U23 men's football team, and his coaching staff.
At the 2025 SEA Games hosted by Thailand, the U23 national team faced disappointment after leading Vietnam 2-0 but was overtaken and lost 3-2 in extra time, causing the association to miss its goal of winning four gold medals at the tournament.
After the meeting, Coach Wang revealed that they had thoroughly analyzed data and issues encountered throughout the SEA Games to improve and develop the team for the Asian Championship.
“Today we presented and summarized all the data and problems from the SEA Games to determine what needs fixing and building upon for the Asian Championship,” he said.
The U23 head coach admitted that a key issue was improving training camp efficiency and player selection, as some players suffered injuries and others had club commitments. Nevertheless, clubs have been very cooperative.
“From the SEA Games squad, we still have a solid player base and new players joining, which is positive. We believe every player has potential, and there will be warm-up matches before departure to test the team,” he added.
Coach Wang emphasized that the SEA Games setback will not halt the team's progress. The short-term goal for the Asian Championship is to reach the quarterfinals and to elevate players in preparation for bigger future tournaments.
“Our first goal is to reach the top eight. We must approach it game by game and strive to prepare the players to compete with Asia's top teams,” he stated.
The Thailand U23 team will announce its 23-player roster within this week before starting a training camp on 29 December 2025, then depart for Saudi Arabia on 3 January 2026 to officially prepare for the Asian Championship.