Thawatchai replaced Takayuki Nishigaya, the Japanese coach who lost his job after five consecutive defeats. The 1974-born coach earned 73 caps for the Thai national team and has managed several clubs in the Thai League. In the 2024-2025 season, he led Chonburi to the Thai League 2 title, earning promotion to Thai League 1.
Thawatchai considers leading the national U22 team the greatest honor of his coaching career. He is not focused on contract details with the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), but rather on achieving positive results in upcoming tournaments, especially the SEA Games 33 on home soil.
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Coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul during a training session of the Thailand U22 national football team on 11/7/2025. Photo: FAT |
Coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul during a training session of the Thailand U22 national football team on 11/7/2025. Photo: FAT
"We must win the men's football gold medal after three unsuccessful attempts," Thawatchai stated on 13/7, on the FAT website. "If we don't win the championship, I and the coaching staff are ready to resign."
Thailand leads with 16 SEA Games men's football gold medals, the last coming in 2017 in Malaysia. Vietnam won gold in 2019 and 2021, while Indonesia triumphed in 2023.
Over the past 8 years, Thailand has changed its U22 and U23 coach 10 times. Renowned names like Akira Nishino (Japan) and Mano Polking (Brazil) couldn't achieve the desired results for Thai football at the regional games.
As the host of SEA Games 33, Thailand is in the first seeded group. The team is in Group A, playing in Bangkok. The men's football tournament runs from 3/12 to 18/12, featuring three groups for the first time. The chosen venues are Rajamangala (Bangkok), Tinsulanonda (Songkhla), and 700th Anniversary of Chiangmai (Chiangmai).
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Midfielder Seksan Ratree (center) training with the Thailand U22 team on 12/7/2025. Photo: FAT |
Midfielder Seksan Ratree (center) training with the Thailand U22 team on 12/7/2025. Photo: FAT
Before the SEA Games, Thailand will participate in the 2025 AFF U23 Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 15/7 to 29/7. Coach Thawatchai selected 23 players, including promising midfielder Seksan Ratree of Buriram United, Sittha Boonlha (Port FC), and Thanakrit Laorkai (Tiamo Hirakata – Japan's fourth division). The team will face Timor Leste on 19/7 and Myanmar on 22/7.
The 2025 AFF U23 Championship features three groups. Teams play a round-robin format, with the top three teams and the best second-placed team advancing to the semi-finals.
"We have limited preparation time but will try our best with the current squad," Thawatchai said. "Our main rivals are Vietnam, with almost two months of preparation, and the hosts Indonesia."
In the four editions of the tournament, Thailand's best result was winning the championship in 2005. They finished second in 2019 and 2022, and third in 2023.
In September, Thailand will host Group F of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers. Coach Thawatchai aims to top the group, facing Mongolia (1/9), Lebanon (5/9), and Malaysia (9/9).
The 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers consist of 11 groups. Teams compete in a round-robin format, with the 11 group winners and the four best second-placed teams joining hosts Saudi Arabia in the final tournament.
Hieu Luong
