The FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, however, falls within a FIFA international window, allowing Hudson to recall several key players, most notably Chanathip Songkrasin, Nicholas Mickelson and Supachok Sarachat.

Thailand will still be without several important players, including Theerathon Bunmathan and Benjamin Davis, while Suphanat Mueanta has recently suffered an injury.

According to former Thailand midfielder Datsakorn Thonglao, both the Football Association of Thailand and Hudson need to clearly define the national team’s objective ahead of the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026.

Thonglao questioned whether Thailand sees the competition as an opportunity to experiment with its squad and develop new players, or whether it is genuinely targeting the title in an effort to restore supporters’ confidence.

If winning the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is the objective, Thonglao believes Hudson’s future as Thailand head coach should also be judged directly on the team’s results.

“Every coach is ultimately judged by results. If he doesn’t perform well in this tournament, then the situation has to be addressed based on those results,” said Thonglao, who previously played for Vietnamese club Hoang Anh Gia Lai, commonly known as HAGL.

“If the results aren’t good and he still stays in the job, that’s fine. But the question is whether he can withstand the pressure. Coaches and players alike are judged on results. If you do well, you continue. If you don’t, you have to take responsibility.”

Fans question Hudson’s selections

Thai football fans have also questioned Hudson’s squad selection, arguing that several of his decisions are difficult to understand.

The English coach has called up players who have only recently recovered from injury or are currently substitutes at their clubs and therefore short of playing time, while overlooking some players who have been in strong club form.

One omission that fans have particularly demanded an explanation for is Benjamin James Davis.

Davis has started the Thai League 1 season in impressive form, starting and scoring in each of his club’s opening two matches while also contributing an assist.

Despite that form, Davis was left out of the national squad. Veteran Theerathon Bunmathan is also absent from the list.

By contrast, Hudson selected players such as Iklas Sanron, who has only recently returned from injury, as well as Manuel Tom Bihr and Anan Yodsangwal, neither of whom has played a minute in the opening two rounds of the 2026/27 Thai League 1 season.

Critics on social media have argued that Hudson’s selection criteria appear to run counter to the principle of prioritizing players in the best form at the time.

Ngoc Huy