Thai women's team fires Japanese coach after 2 defeats against Vietnam

Coach Ikeda disappointed in the recent Southeast Asian women's championship.

According to Thai media, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) has announced the removal of Futoshi Ikeda from the coaching staff of the women's team. FAT has selected Nuengruethai Sathongvian as the replacement. She will return to lead the women's team to prepare for the 2025 SEA Games at the end of the year.

The Thai Football Federation parting ways with coach Ikeda was also an inevitable outcome because he left behind many disappointments. In the 2026 Asian qualifiers, Thailand lost at home to India, thereby failing to qualify for the 2026 Asian Cup and also quickly ending their dream of the 2027 Women's World Cup. This is the worst milestone for Thai women's football in nearly 3 decades because since 1999 they have not been able to attend an Asian Cup final.

In the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Championship, Thailand also lost their position. They lost all 3 final matches against Vietnam, Myanmar and Vietnam. In all 3 matches, Thailand lost with overwhelming pressure. This is the worst Southeast Asian women's tournament for the Thai women's team in the past 10 years.

A series of unforgettable milestones have cost Coach Ikeda his job. He is one of the most famous coaches of women's teams in Asia. In 2017, he helped his students win the U20 Asian Championship. In 2018, he helped Japan's U20 women's team win the World Cup in France.

Futoshi Ikeda was then appointed to lead the national team, leading the team to the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Futoshi Ikeda also impressed when helping Japan advance to the semi-finals before ending up losing to the United States. However, his reputation was somewhat damaged after the defeat in Thailand.