Future of Thailand's defense: Nathan James' statistics in his debut match for Thailand U23 at the AFC U23 Championship.
On 8 Jan 2026, Nathan James made his official debut with the Thailand U23 national team in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship group stage, Group D, first match. The “War Elephants” U23, coached by Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, narrowly lost 1-2 to Australia U23 despite taking an early 1-0 lead.
Although the result was disappointing, Nathan James received much praise from fans. The Thai-English defender, who trained in youth football at English clubs Leicester City, Burnley, and Barnsley, showed great chemistry with Vision Inaram.
He stood out in defense with an aggressive and strong English-style approach. Standing tall at 190 cm, he provided an advantage in defense through ball build-up from the back, positioning, and tackling without being outmatched by opponents.
Played 90 minutes
46 ball touches
35 passes
Average passing accuracy 88.6%
Won 1 tackle
3 blocks
Thailand U23's next match is against Iraq U23 in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship group stage, Group D, second match, at Prince Faisal bin Fahad Sports City Stadium, Saudi Arabia, on 11 January 2026 at 21:00 Thai time. Broadcast live on YouTube: BG SPORTS.
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