Thailand has a new coach following a lackluster World Cup qualifying campaign.

Prior to Singapore vs. Thailand’s World Cup qualifying match on November 21, 2023, at Singapore’s National Stadium, Alexandre Polking is spotted. (Image courtesy of Jeremy Lee/Reuters)

BANGKOK: Following a dismal start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, Thailand’s football team announced on Wednesday, Nov. 22, that they had parted ways with head coach Alexandre Polking.

Following his team’s 2-1 loss to China last week, the Brazilian-German’s 3-1 victory over Singapore on Tuesday was insufficient to keep him in his position.

Polking will be replaced, according to team manager Nualphan Lamsam, by Masatada Ishii, a 56-year-old Japanese coach who won two Thai Premier League championships with Buriram United in 2022 and 2023.

Nualphan posted a statement on her Facebook page, saying, “We needed to choose a coach that is most familiar with the Thai national football team, so we picked coach Ishii who is very experienced.”

The War Elephants are currently ranked second in their World Cup qualifying group, one spot behind South Korea, whom they will play on March 21 of the following year.

Thailand, ranked 111th in the world by FIFA, has never advanced to the World Cup finals.

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Singapore loses to Thailand 3-1 in a World Cup qualifying match.

SINGAPORE: On Tuesday, Nov. 21, the Lions played Thailand at the National Stadium, returning to more comfortable conditions and surroundings following a 5-0 loss to a formidable South Korea.

However, Singapore’s fate was the same, as they lost 3-1 and were forced to stay at the bottom of their World Cup qualifying group. After defeating China 3-0 on the road, who had defeated Thailand in the first round of matches, South Korea is now top of the group.

Mano Polking’s team took the lead early on thanks to a goal from Supachok Sarachat of Thailand. Although Shawal Anuar, a substitute, gave Singapore a chance to tie the score in the first half, Suphanat Mueanta’s double sealed the win for Thailand.

At the Seoul World Cup Stadium last week, South Korea decisively defeated the Lions; goals from Cho Gue-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Son Heung-min, Hwang Ui-jo, and Lee Kang-in cemented the win.

Even though Thailand, the dominant team in ASEAN, forced Hassan Sunny into a great stop with less than a minute remaining, forcing the South Koreans to labor through the first forty-five minutes of the match.

Four minutes later, a low drive from Supachok silenced the 29,644 home crowd.

In their final matchup with Thailand, Singapore lost 0–2 to the War Elephants in the AFF Suzuki Cup (now known as the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup) group stage in 2021. Last year, the Lions defeated Thailand.

Without Shah Shahiran (suspension) and Irfan Fandi (injury), Singapore attempted to absorb the pressure and hit the Thais on the counter, but they were unable to produce a quality shot.

During Singapore’s match against South Korea last week, Hassan was occupied. On Tuesday, he had to be alert to block Phitiwat Sookjitthammakul’s long-range attempt for a corner in the 27th minute. A few minutes afterward, he was forced to intervene once more after making a powerful parry of a Supachai Chaided blow.

However, Singapore managed to draw even when Song Ui-young and Ilhan Fandi’s excellent combination play produced a ball that was passed to Shawal. Even though Thailand goalkeeper Kampon Phatomakkakul got a hand on the finish, he would tuck it in.

After the restart, the Lions appeared energized and would chase deeper into the pitch. And in the 52nd minute, that pressure would have made room for a Song snapshot, but Kampon stopped his speculative attempt.

The Lions should have taken note of the skewed Ekanit Panya shot in the 58th minute, as their opponents were still very much in the game.

Then came the game-winning goal: an exquisite through pass from Teerasil Dangda, a second-half substitute, found the charging Suphanat, who finished with style.

Minutes after the end of regulation, Suphanat would score as the Lions pushed for an equalizer.

Following Thailand’s 2-1 loss to China in Bangkok last week, Polking called the victory “important” during a press conference held following the game. He claimed that following a first 45 minutes in which Singapore caused issues, his team regained greater control of the game in the second half.

“We have to win this game in order to survive because we lost the first one,” he remarked.

“We are ecstatic to have received the necessary points.”

The players were “all very disappointed,” according to Nishigaya.

He remarked, “We’re all very disappointed that we weren’t able to deliver the outcome that we wanted and that the fans were expecting.”

“However, I must admit that the players gave it their all for the entire ninety minutes, and I’m sure the lessons they learned today will help them in the next game.”

When asked if he would be present for Singapore’s match against China the following year, Nishigaya replied that he was unsure but that he was totally dedicated to his work.

The initial two phases of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup are concurrently the initial two phases of the AFC Asian Cup qualifying tournament for 2027. In addition to qualifying for the Asian Cup, the top two teams from each group advance to the next round of the World Cup qualifiers. Only for Asian Cup entry, the remaining teams will play qualifying matches going forward.

The next year’s qualifiers for the Lions will take place. They have home and away matches against China scheduled for March 21 and 26, respectively, before their return matches against South Korea and Thailand on June 6 and June 11, respectively.