Thailand’s under-23 team coach Thawatchai Dumrong-ongtrakul has set an initial target of reaching the quarterfinals for the Young War Elephants at the upcoming 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup early next year.
With the continental championship due to begin in about two weeks’ time, the national under-23 side has no time to dwell on their heartbreaking failure to reclaim the men’s football title at the recently ended 2025 SEA Games on home soil, as Thawatchai has started plotting ways to help his young charges make a deeper run in Saudi Arabia next month.
“The SEA Games squad provides a good base and we’ll add some new players. We see them as capable players based on their performances with the national under-21 side or their clubs.
“We’re still confident our boys will perform well at the Asian Cup. Before departing for the tournament, we’ll have warm-up games to test the new players,” said the 51-year-old coach.
While looking to improve his players’ physical condition after fatigue was blamed for the Young War Elephants’ second-half implosion in the title showdown against Vietnam, Thawatchai set his sights on securing a quarterfinal spot as the preliminary objective for his young men at the tournament, scheduled to take place from January 6 to 24 in Jeddah and Riyadh.
“We have already held talks with clubs, and players on the list must try to improve their fitness for our AFC Cup campaign. We’ll try to do our best and take it one game at a time.
“Our first target is to make it through to the quarterfinals. We now need to focus on the Cup, where all our opponents are strong. We’ll try to help the boys elevate their game to successfully navigate the challenges ahead,” said the former national midfielder.
It is expected that Thailand’s 23-man squad for the U-23 Asian Cup will be announced this week, ahead of the training camp starting on December 29, prior to the team’s departure for Saudi Arabia on January 3.
Thawatchai’s side is due to kick off their Group D campaign against Australia on January 8, followed by Iraq on January 11 and China three days later.
