Tribute to Thailand's U-17 women's volleyball team for their journey to shock the world by defeating Poland.
Right now, no team is performing hotter than Thailand's U-17 women's national volleyball team, which stunned the volleyball world by defeating Poland and advancing to the last 8 in Chile.
Thailand's U-17 women's volleyball results in the first round, Group A
Lost to Turkey 0-3 sets
Defeated Chile 3-1 sets
Lost to Czech Republic 1-3 sets
Lost to USA 0-3 sets
Defeated Egypt 3-0 sets
On their way to the round of 16, facing Poland, many doubted their chances, but they ultimately defied expectations.
Part of this team's success comes from a training camp in Japan under the comprehensive Domestic Power 2025–2026 sports development program, part of the Royal Patronage project to promote Thai national sports, now in its second year. The association collaborated with Japan's Aranmare YAMAGATA Volleyball Club for two training sessions and matches against Japanese high school and university teams. Exposure to international training helped the players become noticeably fearless.
Before this, some players built confidence by winning the 23rd Southeast Asian U18 Championship and placing third in the 2026 Asian U18 Volleyball Championship.
Many in this U-17 squad are younger than 17 and some have already competed at the U-18 level.
The team's average age is 15.9 years.
The oldest is 16.6 years.
The youngest is 14.7 years.
Mistakes can happen given their youth; in past tournaments, younger teams were often intimidated by stronger opponents. But this U-17 team in Chile plays boldly and fears no one.
Additionally, the coaching staff—including Coach M, Lt. Thanakrit Inliang, Coach Sin Theerayut Laochai, and Coach Mam Wanida Petchrat—have worked closely with the players, spending extensive time training together. Each player has good individual skills and the team plays well as a unit.
Wilavan Apinyapong said, “When this group plays against European teams, their defense remains solid and their attacks are fearless, even facing big blocks. The points are well distributed rather than relying on any single player.”
“Reaching the quarterfinals is a huge success, especially with the upset over Poland. We hope this confidence helps us beat Chinese Taipei and advance further.”
“What needs improvement is reducing personal errors. If they stay calm, get used to the venue, and avoid unforced mistakes, they can compete with any team.”
In the quarterfinals, Thailand will face Chinese Taipei on 15 August at 04:00 Thailand time.
We send our best wishes for the U-17 team to go as far as possible, hopefully progressing all the way to the senior national team.