Southeast Asian football once again misses out on the World Cup.

(Baonghean.vn) - After losing to Japan, Thailand bid farewell to the global football tournament in Russia. The question 'When will Southeast Asian football participate in the World Cup?' remains unanswered.

The local 'boogeyman'

The Thai national team is still considered the strongest team in Southeast Asia at the moment. They have won the regional championship five times; participated in the Asian Cup finals seven times, with their best performance at the continental level being third place in the 1972 Asian Cup when Thailand hosted the finals.

Coach Kiatisak Senamuang did everything he could, but to no avail. Photo: Internet

In the latter half of the 2010s alone, Thailand achieved results unmatched by any other Southeast Asian team: the national team won the 2014 AFF Cup (for the first time since 2002), the U23 Thai team won the SEA Games for the second time (2013, 2015), and reached the semi-finals of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

In a particular match, the Thai players might stumble, but the country's football has far surpassed that of other Southeast Asian nations. Not only the Thais, but also a large number of experts and football fans in Southeast Asia are eagerly watching Coach Kiatisak compete on the continental stage.

The joy was short-lived.

With a 2-2 draw against Iraq, Kiatisak Senamuang's team officially secured first place in Group F, advancing to the third round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Asia (which also serves as the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers). This marks the third time the team nicknamed "The War Elephants" has achieved this feat. However, this is their first return to the Asian Cup since 2007, and they have hopes of progressing further than their elimination in the group stage.

Thailand's qualification for the third round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region is a great honor for Southeast Asian football.

Accordingly, the 12 teams will be divided into 2 groups, with 6 teams in each group playing a round-robin format. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The two third-placed teams will advance to Round 4. In Round 4: The two third-placed teams will play a two-legged match. The winner will compete in a play-off for a spot in Russia against the fourth-placed team from the North, Central America and Caribbean region.

The Thai players were helpless on Japanese soil and had to accept a 0-4 defeat. Photo: Internet

Placed in a group with teams like Australia, UAE, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, Kiatissa and his players were probably more realistic, aiming for third place and a playoff spot. But as the saying goes, "at home, the mother is first, then the child," and in the regional arena, they only managed a 2-2 draw against Australia in their fifth match, losing all the others.

After 7 matches, the "War Elephants" only scored 3 goals, conceded 19, and were eliminated 3 rounds before the end of the season, showing just how far behind Southeast Asian football is compared to the rest of the continent.

Names like Prathum Chutong, Charyl Chappuis, Chanathip Songkrasin, Teerasil Dangda… are only well-known in the region; when they step onto the continental stage and stand alongside Shinji Kagawa, Yasuyuki Konno, Hiroki Sakai, and Maya Yoshida, they suddenly seem insignificant.

To be honest, the Thai players did have a match that could be considered evenly matched against Saudi Arabia in the opening game of Group B, but that wasn't enough for their long journey on the football field.

Not only the Thais, but also the Singapore Football Association and the Vietnam Football Association once dreamed of venturing into the "big leagues" to participate in the World Cup. However, witnessing the disastrous failure of the Thai national team, members of the Southeast Asian Football Federations had to sit down together to discuss a comprehensive overhaul, and perhaps only in a few decades would they have the opportunity.

AT