Madam Pang takes action as the Thai national team is closely pursued by Vietnam on the FIFA rankings.

The President of the Football Association of Thailand, Madam Pang, promptly took steps to prepare the squad when Vietnam's national team made a substantial leap on the FIFA rankings, narrowing the gap with the "War Elephants" in Southeast Asia.

The latest FIFA rankings released on March 31 recorded a strong advancement by Vietnam's national team. Under coach Kim Sang Sik, the team climbed 10 places, reaching the 99th position globally with 1225.68 points, officially returning to the top 100 after a long absence. This is seen as a deserved outcome for Vietnam's impressive performance in recent times.

In September 2025, Vietnam's national team was ranked 114th globally. After regaining deducted points due to being awarded a 3-0 win against Malaysia in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, Vietnam rose 5 places to the 103rd position. By March 31, the 3-1 victory over Malaysia at Thiên Trường Stadium further helped Vietnam accumulate crucial points and officially re-enter the FIFA top 100.

Within Southeast Asia, Vietnam's national team now ranks only behind Thailand. The "War Elephants" stand at 93rd globally after climbing 3 places thanks to a 2-1 win over Turkmenistan. This result secured Thailand's qualification for the Asian Cup 2027 finals in Saudi Arabia.

In response to Vietnam's significant improvement in ranking and the narrowing gap, the President of the Football Association of Thailand, Mrs. Nualphan Lamsam (Madam Pang), quickly took action to strengthen the national team's roster.

Speaking to Thai media, Madam Pang revealed that the Thai national team might add more naturalized players to enhance its strength for the Asian Cup 2027 campaign, held in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, 2027.

"I cannot disclose details at this moment, but there will certainly be surprises. I want everyone to wait and see how big the surprises will be. We still have nearly 9 months to prepare," Madam Pang briefly shared with the press.

In the 2-1 victory over Turkmenistan on March 31, the Thai national team utilized several dual-nationality players, including Jonathan Khemdee (Thai-Danish), Manuel Tom Bihr (Thai-German), Nicholas Mickelson (Thai-Norwegian), and Jude Soonsup-Bell (Thai-English).

This move shows Thailand is actively upgrading its squad to maintain its top position in Southeast Asia, especially as Vietnam's national team is making strong progress.