Hudson: Mixed Squad Not Title Favorites for ASEAN Cup
Thailand's coach Anthony Hudson acknowledged his squad isn't favored to win the 2026 AFF Championship, citing Vietnam's superior preparation time and experience as teams to watch. The Thai squad convened July 14 to prepare for the regional
Anthony Hudson, Thailand's head coach, candidly stated that the mixed squad is not the championship favorite, with the current goal being to perform at their absolute best in the 2026 AFF Championship. The Thai men's national team reported for duty on July 14, 2025, at the Novotel Future Park Rangsit to prepare for the tournament, with Hudson leading 24 players. Patrick Gustavsson will join the squad on August 5.
Hudson explained: "I've made it clear, after the squad announcement and FA Awards ceremony with Madam Pang Nulprann Lamsam, the FA president, that our goal with this mixed squad is to try our best and advance as far as possible. In my view, the Thai national team is not the championship favorite this time due to several conditions, such as Vietnam, which has prepared their team 3-4 weeks in advance, and Singapore as well. However, overall, I'm satisfied with the talent we have right now. Our goal at this moment is to do our very best."
"I think we cannot overlook Vietnam's national team because, as you know, they have had a long preparation period and paused their league to support the squad. They have brought in their best players for this competition. Speaking this way is not putting pressure on them, but we're being straightforward because in theory, we truly cannot overlook them."
"Regarding FIFA expanding the World Cup final tournament, I see it as an advantage for nations like ours. After working with many national teams, expanding the World Cup creates positive opportunities for many nations, whether in terms of team value, investment, and overall national development. It's certainly beneficial. It will encourage various national teams with lower FIFA rankings that have never participated in the World Cup to have a clearer development pathway, including league development and youth development, which is good for national teams."
Picha Utara, who returned to the senior national team for the first time in over two years, said: "It feels complete now, but Bangkok only trained yesterday for one day. I prepared myself during the break with online training with my club for about 2-3 weeks."
"I think every club and every league I've been to has been good experience. It depends on how players adapt and fine-tune in the upcoming leagues. I think we need to fine-tune quite a lot because this squad has new players and some returning players who haven't been with the team long enough. We need to try to learn and adapt to each other. I think the time we have should be sufficient if everyone works hard. The goal is to do our own job well and stay focused in the same direction."
"The World Cup expansion issue hasn't been discussed much yet, but for me personally, regarding the quota increase, everyone wants to perform well now to reach that point and show whether we're ready or not."
The 2026 AFF Championship features Thailand in Group B with Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar, and Laos. The match schedule is as follows:
Laos vs Thailand – July 25, 2025, 20:00 at Laos National Stadium 16
Thailand vs Malaysia – August 1, 2025, 20:00 at Suphachalasai Stadium
Philippines vs Thailand – August 4, 2025, 20:00 (Thailand time) at New Clark City Stadium
