Thailand head coach Anthony Hudson believes the War Elephants must approach the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 one match at a time, insisting every opponent deserves respect despite Thailand entering the tournament as one of the favourites.
Speaking ahead of the regional championship, Hudson discussed Malaysia’s new-look squad, identified the Philippines as one of Thailand’s toughest challenges in Group B, and admitted his side faces a disadvantage due to limited preparation time before the tournament.
One of the biggest talking points ahead of the tournament is Thailand’s meeting with regional rivals Malaysia, who will also field a mixed squad under a new head coach following the departure of Peter Cklamovski.
“Because it’s a new coach, we haven’t really seen how they’re going to play. But we’ll get the opportunity to watch them before we face them because by the time we play our first game, we will have seen them in action.”Hudson talked to an SNE Sports reporter
“At the moment it’s difficult to know exactly how they’re going to play, but we have to respect every opponent. We take one game at a time, and I think we’ve got a good group coming into this tournament.”
The Englishman expects Malaysia’s tactical identity to become clearer once the competition begins, but stressed that Thailand’s focus remains on their own performances.
When asked which opponent could pose the greatest challenge in Group B, Hudson immediately highlighted the Philippines.
“I think the away match against the Philippines will be really tough.”
He explained that limited access to recent footage of some competing teams has made preparation more difficult.
“We’re looking at all the teams now, but some of the friendly matches we can’t even get coverage of. Still, I believe the Philippines away will be one of our toughest games.”
Perhaps Hudson’s biggest concern is Thailand’s short training camp before the tournament.
While several ASEAN rivals have already begun lengthy preparation camps, Thailand will have only 11 days to assemble and prepare the squad, starting with the first day of training camp on July 14th.
“I think it’s a very good point. We only have around 11 days before the tournament, while teams like Laos and the Philippines have much more preparation time.”
Hudson explained that scheduling outside the FIFA international window creates significant challenges.
“If we want to invest heavily in this tournament, we have to take resources away from our September and October FIFA windows and our preparation for the Asian Cup. That doesn’t really make sense.”
“You want to invest in the FIFA windows because that’s when you have your full squad together and can prepare properly.”
The former New Zealand coach pointed out that several regional rivals have already gained a head start.
“Vietnam are already in camp now. Singapore are playing three friendly matches and even travelling to Japan. Other teams are already preparing.”
Despite the shorter preparation period, Hudson remains confident Thailand can improve as the tournament progresses.
“I think we’ll be okay. What we’ll have to do is work our way through the tournament, build our fitness, improve our understanding, and get stronger as we go along.”
Thailand in the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 has been drawn in Group B along with Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar, and Laos.
Credit Photo : FA Thailand
