The Cambodia national futsal team departed for Tajikistan on Tuesday, September 16, where they will take part in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers, which will run from September 20–24.
Although the squad lost all of their matches at the CFA International Men’s Futsal Tournament 2025, held in China earlier this month, head coach Cheth Chanrachna said he has already assessed the stadiums, weather and other challenges in preparation for the AFC qualifiers.
He stressed that the team is determined to secure a positive result.
“If we talk about rankings, we must acknowledge that Japan and Tajikistan are already at a world-class level, but we also have our own playing style,” he told the media.
“We’ve been training hard to face strong teams and to learn from them. Wherever there is a chance to win, we will fight with all our ability. Right now, physically, our players are fully prepared,” he added.
At the CFA tournament in China, held from September 5–11, Cambodia lost 5–1 to Indonesia, 5–2 to New Zealand, and 4–1 to Myanmar in the group stage of Pool B.
In the placement matches, Cambodia—ranked fourth in Pool B—lost 8–1 to China, the third-place team in Pool A, and again fell 8–4 to New Zealand.
Chanrachna considered the five straight defeats not as setbacks, but as valuable experience to strengthen the squad ahead of the Asian Cup qualifiers.
“We are grateful to our Chinese friends for inviting us. We gained a lot of experience and identified our weaknesses. Now, as we head to face Japan, Tajikistan and Macau, we will give our best effort,” he said.
“Before leaving for these qualifiers, our commitment was to play for victory for our country. Matches against Indonesia and New Zealand — both higher-ranked teams — helped us recognise our mistakes and refine our style of play. Our players have developed, their speed is on par with opponents, and in one-on-one defending we are no longer easy to get past. We have our own identity on the pitch,” he explained.
He appealed to supporters to stop delivering harsh criticism, which he said deeply affects the morale of players. Instead, he urged fans to encourage the team.
“The encouragement of the people is what truly inspires our players. It feels like having an extra player on the court. We know every country plays to win, and we have set our minds firmly. We can say with confidence: we are going to bring success home for our nation,” he said.
