Who is the biggest star of Thailand in the ASEAN Cup 2026?

With many stars absent, coach Anthony Hudson can only rely on a few individuals at the ASEAN Cup 2026.

Theoretically, Patrik Gustavsson, the 25-year-old Thai-born player of BG Pathum United, will be the hope of the Thailand national team at the ASEAN Cup 2026. In the 2024 tournament, Patrik Gustavsson scored 4 goals for the "War Elephants", equal to Suphanat Mueanta.

Patrik Gustavsson specializes in playing as a center forward but can also play on the wing. The Swedish-born player had a modest record in the 2025/26 season due to being sidelined for many games with injuries. He scored only 2 goals in 10 appearances for his club.

At the national team level, Patrik Gustavsson has scored 8 goals and provided 3 assists in 11 appearances for Thailand. However, the last time he played and scored for the "War Elephants" was in March 2025. Since then, he has not played any match for the Land of Golden Pagodas. It is said that Patrik Gustavsson can only join the squad from the knockout stage.

Thus, Teerasak Poeiphimai and Yotsakorn Burapha will directly compete for the number 9 position of the Thailand national team in the group stage. But both are young players with little experience. Teerasak Poeiphimai is only 23 years old and was the top scorer of the 2022 ASEAN U23 Championship. He has scored 7 goals in 26 appearances for Thailand. Yotsakorn Burapha is even younger at 21 and has only 2 caps for the "War Elephants". Burapha was the Best Young Player of Thai League 1 season 2025/26 and the top scorer of the 2025 SEA Games (7 goals).

Both Teerasak Poeiphimai and Yotsakorn Burapha are considered the future of Thai football, but whether they can shine at the ASEAN Cup 2026 remains a question mark.

In defense, center-back Manuel Bihr will be a key factor. He won the 2020 AFF Cup with the Thailand national team. Bihr also scored the decisive goal that helped Thailand beat Turkmenistan 2-1 to secure a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup. Bihr's experience and aerial ability will be very important for Thailand at the ASEAN Cup 2026, as the "War Elephants" are missing their best attacking players.

Sarach Yooyen (34 years old), who has won the AFF Cup four times, along with Worachit Kanitsribampen (28 years old), are expected to take charge of the midfield for the Thailand national team at the ASEAN Cup 2026.

Overall, with this squad, coach Anthony Hudson will have to "make do with what he has" for the matches.