Ahead of his debut as head coach at the women’s FIFA Series 2026™, Thailand legend Natipong Sritong-In spoke exclusively to FIFA about his transition into the role, his tactical philosophy and his ambition to revive the Chaba Kaew.
Thailand will host the inaugural women’s FIFA Series in Ratchaburi from 12–15 April, where they will face New Caledonia in the semi-finals, with Indonesia taking on Congo DR in the other final four clash. The two winners will then meet up in the final, with the other teams taking part in the third-place match.
For football fans across Southeast Asia, Natipong is a familiar name. However, this tournament marks a new chapter in his career – leading the team from the touchline as head coach.
After years working behind the scenes, including as assistant coach during the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™, Natipong now carries full responsibility for shaping the future of Thailand women’s football.
Natipong Sritong-In: I have been involved in women’s football for a long time. I was previously an assistant coach, including at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, so this is not new to me. However, I am now in charge of the senior team. Competitions like this are very important for development because we need more international and Asian-level matches. This is a very good opportunity, and having more tournaments like this would certainly be beneficial.
For me, being No2 was actually better because I prefer teaching rather than managing. But this is a great opportunity. I see it as a responsibility that I must fulfil. The priority is to find our own playing style. I want to assess the team’s capabilities and determine how we want to play.
I don’t know much about them yet. I’ve only looked at the rankings, but rankings don’t mean much now because many teams have changed players through nationality switches. For now, I’m focusing on our own team and our playing style. In the coming days, we will start analysing them and preparing our strategy.
Every team has potential. Congo DR will rely more on physicality, while Indonesia is more similar to us physically, so the match will likely be more tactical. It is important for us to face teams from different confederations. Playing against different styles is very beneficial. Some teams play direct football with long balls and high crosses, so we need to be able to adapt.
We want a very disciplined defence, efficient attacking with a focus on finishing quality, and high intensity with controlled pressing.
Experienced players form the structure of the team, while young players follow and develop within it. Senior players are very important – they are the foundation of the team. I want to place experienced players in every line to guide the younger ones, but I will still prioritise young players.
It was due to the quality of players at that time. After that, we were unable to produce a strong new generation, which led to a decline in performance. It’s not just about qualifying or not – this should be a momentum to rebuild for the future.
We will try through the U-20 team, which has strong potential to replace around 70 per cent of the senior squad. We need more players and more matches. The domestic league also needs improvement because the number of matches is currently too limited.
It is growing very rapidly. Audiences are increasing, leagues are becoming stronger, and players are improving. If we want to compete again at the highest level, we must look to countries like France, England, the United States and Brazil as benchmarks.
