Going to the Olympics, there's no need to avoid anyone.
The Olympics is the only major event that the Thailand women's national volleyball team has never participated in, from the era of the "7 Wonders" who made a name until the new generation.
The chance to qualify for the Olympics returns at the 2026 Asian Championship in Tianjin, China, from 21-30 August, because the champion will earn a direct spot for the 2028 Olympics in the United States. Additionally, the top 1-3 teams will qualify for the 2027 World Championship.
2028 Olympic Quota
1 host nation team: United States automatically qualifies.
5 continental champions (Asia, Europe, North and Central America, South America, Africa).
3 teams from the 2027 World Championship (teams not yet qualified).
3 teams with the best world rankings after the 2028 VNL (teams not yet qualified).
After winning against Vietnam at the “SEA V Cup 2026 in Chiang Mai,” I asked Pornpun Guedpard, the team captain, about the goals for this tournament. She clearly stated that only the championship matters, but initially they must reach the final. Hearing that gave me goosebumps.
The 2026 Asian Championship has 3 groups.
Group A: China, Chinese Taipei, Iran, Iraq.
Group B: Thailand, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Australia.
Group C: Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Hong Kong.
Eight teams will be seeded from 1 to 8 and paired accordingly.
Top 1-2 (6 teams) and the two best 3rd-place teams (2 teams).
Seeding criteria include match results, wins and losses, points, sets won-lost, and points scored-lost per set.
Before crossing over the matchups.
Rank 1 faces Rank 8; Rank 4 faces Rank 5.
Rank 2 faces Rank 7; Rank 3 faces Rank 6.
Therefore, the easiest chance for Thailand to reach the final is to secure the number 1 seed among the top 8 to avoid China or Japan, since in the semifinals they would face the 4th or 5th seed, which is considered an easier matchup.
However, China, as host, will arrange the draw to make their path the easiest. The chance of losing sets or points to Chinese Taipei, Iran, or Iraq in their group is very low, so China is likely to finish first and advance easily to the semifinals.
Turning to the Thai national team, the chance of facing Japan in the semifinals is high. But to qualify for the Olympics in this round, Thailand must be the champion. There's no need to avoid anyone because ultimately, the Olympic spot depends on winning the final against either China or Japan. Therefore, being champion means not fearing anyone.