MANILA, Philippines — Heading into the inaugural AFF Women’s Futsal Championship that will be held at the PhilSports Arena from November 16-21, the one big question asked of most teams is, “Can they beat Thailand?”
Ranked sixth by FIFA in the world, the Thais are the class not only in the immediate region of Southeast Asia, but also across Asia.
In all five stagings of futsal in the Southeast Asian Games, the Thais have come away with the gold medal.
In the Asian Indoor Games, they were champions in 2017 and finished second and third twice each.
They have finished third on two different occasions during the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup.
Their longtime head coach Surapong Plyouwong has been at the helm of their recent dominance. The team captain is Orathai Srimanee.
Is beating them a tall order?
Definitely. But it can be done.
Heading into this tournament, Thailand competed in the NSDF women’s Futsal Championship in Bangkok this past September that saw the participation of teams from China, Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
The hosts were stunned when Vietnam finished undefeated in the tournament and took home the championship following a 2-2 draw that saw them top Thailand on total points.
Indonesia finished last in the five-nation tournament.
The Thais open the tournament on November 16 when they take on Indonesia at 4 p.m. The next day, November 17, they clash with their Philippine hosts in the main match scheduled for 7 p.m.
On Wednesday, November 18, Myanmar will try to stave off the Thais at 7 p.m.
On Friday, November 20, it will be the much-anticipated rematch with Vietnam at 4 p.m.
The final day of the tournament will feature the battle for third and fourth place at 4 p.m., and the finals at 7 p.m.