Thailand eyes on cheering home fans in World Cup qualifier against China

BANGKOK, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Thai national football team is looking to cheer the home crowd as it takes on China in the opener of the Asian Qualification Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 here on Thursday.

Thailand is grouped with South Korea, China and Singapore, and with South Korea expected to dominate, the fight over the other berth in the group to qualify for the next round will be most likely between China and Thailand.

"We had good preparation. We have a quality squad, quality players, and we've been training well," captain and left-back Theerathon Bunmathan told the pre-match press conference on Wednesday. "We are ready to make a good performance tomorrow in front of our fans. We are totally focused on getting the three points tomorrow."

For the first time in five years, the War Elephant is returning to their home pitch of Rajamangala Stadium, which had been under renovation. Head coach Alexandre Polking said he believes the home crowd could be a great motivation for the team.

"By playing in front of our crowd in the big stadium, we are confident that with a lot of effort, a lot of fighting spirit, we can win the game," he said.

China is well ahead of Thailand in the latest FIFA ranking, but Thailand had a 1-0 victory in their last international fixture in 2019.

Chanathip Songkrasin, who was dubbed "Thai Messi" and scored the only goal in the 2019 match, remained a key player for Polking's side. But he would be aided by several younger teammates playing in foreign leagues, including Supachok Sarachat, who has scored seven goals in the Japanese J-League this season.

"We respect China a lot knowing that they are strong. But in front of the crowd here and with confidence and a good fight, I really believe that we can win," said Polking.