The English coach makes a surprising decision regarding the Thailand national team.

Coach Anthony Hudson stated that the Thailand national team will have no friendly games ahead of the last matchday of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round.

The Thailand national team, led by new head coach Anthony Hudson, is currently selecting players from the 2025/26 Thai League season to prepare for the final Group D match at the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, where they will host Turkmenistan on Tuesday, March 31.

The Thailand national team, known as the "War Elephants," will not participate in any friendly matches during the FIFA Days from March 23 to 31. This decision is because the English head coach wants the team to have eight days of training, with the training camp starting on Monday, March 23.

Furthermore, the players called up to the national team have already played friendly matches with their clubs, which is another reason why there are no friendlies before the game against Turkmenistan. Thailand has played five matches, winning four and losing one, accumulating 12 points. Their opponent, Turkmenistan, the group leader, also has 12 points from five matches (four wins, one loss).

However, Turkmenistan won the first home match against Thailand 3-1, giving the "War Elephants" an unfavorable head-to-head record. Therefore, the Thailand team must defeat Turkmenistan to secure a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup finals next year.

Thus, the match against Turkmenistan will also be the debut game for the new head coach Anthony Hudson. Anthony Hudson will replace his predecessor Masatada Ishii, who was dismissed in October 2025 due to a series of poor results.

Following Masatada Ishii’s dismissal, Anthony Hudson, former head coach of BG Pathum United and then Technical Director of FAT, was chosen by the Football Association of Thailand as the new head coach. Hudson, 44, has coached several international teams such as the USA, New Zealand, and Bahrain, and is highly regarded for his modern football philosophy and ability to work with young players.