Bangkok: The Thai national futsal team arrived back in Thailand after being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Asian Futsal Championship. The Thai men’s futsal national team arrived back at Suvarnabhumi International Airport yesterday afternoon after completing their mission at the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia. The “Thai futsal team,” the defending runners-up, were eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing to Iraq 2-4.
According to Thai News Agency, upon arrival, head coach Rakphol Sainetngam, nicknamed “Coach Bear,” apologized to the fans for the team only reaching the quarter-finals. He thanked the Football Association of Thailand, all the players for their dedication, and his club for their support since his first day in charge. He stated that the coaching staff will analyze the team’s performance, both offensively and defensively, to identify strengths and weaknesses for improvement, and will report their findings and mistakes to the Futsal Development Department and the Footbal
l Association of Thailand. Most importantly, the focus will be on planning for the next tournament, the ASEAN Futsal Championship 2026, to be held from April 5-12 at Nonthaburi Stadium.