Bangkok: Anthony Hudson leads the Thai national team to report for duty, preparing for the warm-up match against Singapore. The Thai national men’s football team has reported for duty to prepare for the FIFA Day friendly match against Singapore and the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match, match 5, against Sri Lanka.
According to Thai News Agency, this report was led by Anthony Hudson, head coach of the Thai national team, along with the athletes. There were changes to the players. Hudson called up Iklas Sanhan and Prames Ajwilai to replace Anan Yodsangwan and Teerasil Dangda, who were injured.
After the meeting, Anthony Hudson, head coach of the Thai national team, said, “We only have three days before our match against Singapore, and many players just played last Saturday and Sunday. The goal of the first day is to provide as much information to the players as possible, but also to ensure they recover and are as fresh as possible. Tomorrow will likely be a crucial training day. Our plan is to share our ideas with the players. Before the match, we’ll prepare the team as usual. We don’t view the match against Singapore as a friendly match. We see it as another crucial match in helping us qualify for the final round of the Asian Cup. Our preparation must be satisfactory.”
Hudson further explained the necessity for sudden changes, stating, “As you know, we had very little time to prepare. Both the staff and the players were involved in the sudden changes. The reason for the new players being called up was to increase the number of attacking players. That’s why we initially had only three backs, and to increase the number of forwards. We also have players who can play as midfielders and left-backs. The first change today is Iklas. I planned not to bring in players from the U23 team, but because a player withdrew due to injury, we had to bring them in. Iklas, I’ve been following him since he was in the Thailand U23 national team and at his club for several months. Okay, some people might question whether he’s too young, but I think he’s reliable and can create excitement. The important things are quality, speed of play, and attitude to carry the ball forward.”
PT Prachuap FC forward Iklas Sanhon expressed his excitement, saying, “I’m excited. I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. I just found out this morning when someone contacted me. I haven’t had a chance to talk to the coach yet. I’m not sure what brought me this opportunity, but it’s probably about showing my form for the club and getting consistent playing time and scoring goals.”
Sanhon also detailed his positional flexibility, “As for my position, I initially played on the right wing during my time in Thai League 3. However, when I moved to Thai League 1, I was able to play on the left wing. I’ve been practicing this position ever since. I don’t have any issues with it. If the coach asks me to play anywhere, I’m ready to do my best.”
The Thai national men’s football team will have a FIFA Day program in November 2025, starting with a FIFA Day warm-up match against the Singapore national team, ranked 155th in the world, at Thammasat Stadium, Rangsit, on November 13, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. Continuing with an away game against the Sri Lankan national team, ranked 193rd in the world, in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round, Group D, Matchday 5 at Colombo Racecourse Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka, on November 18, 2025 at 5:15 p.m. Thailand time.