The draw results of the 2027 Asian Cup put Thailand in Group F along with defending champion Qatar, Japan and Indonesia. Among these, Japan is considered the strongest team in Asia, having won the Asian Cup 4 times. And Indonesia has also progressed very quickly in recent years, once reaching the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
“Before the draw, everyone hoped that the Thai team would be in an easy group to have a better chance of advancing to the next rounds. But we have to face very strong opponents, such as Qatar, a team I know very well. Meanwhile, everyone knows, the Japanese team is a very strong team, Anthony Hudson shared when preparing with the Thai team for two friendly matches with Kuwait and China in June 2026.
Despite the unfavorable draw results, Anthony Hudson is confident that he will play well with the Thai national team at the upcoming 2027 Asian Cup. He said: "I think anything can happen in the football world. The most important thing is that if they want to play well, they must start preparing properly right from this training camp.
According to the schedule, the Thai team (ranked 93rd in the world) will meet the Kuwait team (ranked 134th) on June 5th at home. 4 days later, they will meet the Chinese team (ranked 94th) in Hangzhou. Coach Anthony Hudson has high expectations for these two friendly matches, because they will be an important luggage for the Thai team to prepare for future tournaments, including the 2027 Asian Cup.
“The top priority, as in every training session, is to set high standards, expect good results because we have quality players in the team, and achieve good results in the next two matches. The first goal is the first match because it is very important.
We respect our opponents, but our main goal is to achieve positive results in the first match at home against Kuwait. The important thing at this time is to prepare the best players, both physically and mentally, before participating in the tournaments at ASEAN Cup 2026 and FIFA ASEAN Cup. With the current squad quality, we expect to participate and win both tournaments," Anthony Hudson said.
At ASEAN Cup 2026, Thailand will be in Group B with Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar. The tournament will take place from July 24 to August 26, 2026, the last time Thailand won the championship was in 2022.
Meanwhile, FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is the first edition to be held, expected to be held in September 2026. The format of the tournament has not yet been agreed upon, but it is expected that some teams outside of Southeast Asia such as Hong Kong (China), India and China will participate.
