The Cambodia national football team departed for Hong Kong at 11am this morning, November 11. They will play an international friendly match against the hosts on November 13, following an invitation from the Hong Kong Football Association. The match will be broadcast live on BTV News.
Interestingly, the Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC) only announced the official 23-man squad recently, with the players only assembling the night before their flight.
This means that the national players have not trained together on home soil, and will have only a short warm-up session in Hong Kong before the official match, scheduled for 7pm Cambodia time at the Hong Kong Stadium.
The delayed assembly of the squad was largely due to the players’ ongoing club commitments, including domestic league fixtures and international cup competitions. Notably, Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng and Phnom Penh Crown have just completed the group stage of the 2025/26 AFC Challenge League, with both clubs advancing to the quarterfinals.
At the same time, the Cambodian Premier League has been in full swing, with match week 11 concluding last Sunday, before the FIFA international break (November 10–18) — the window during which players are allowed to join their national teams.
Among the 23-man squad, head coach Koji Gyotoku has called up Nick Taylor, who plays for PT Prachuap FC in Thailand, and Nieto Rondon, a Colombian-born forward with Cambodian nationality who currently plays for Phayangkara Presisi Lampung FC in Indonesia.
Additionally, two naturalised foreign players — Yudai Ogawa, a Japanese-born midfielder from Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng, and Kanmou, a South African-born defender — have also been included in the squad.
However, Japanese-Cambodian defender Takaki Ose and Ivorian-Cambodian forward Coulibaly Abdel Kader were not named in his selection.
No official explanation was given for Abdel Kader’s absence, though it was confirmed that Takaki Ose was ruled out due to a hamstring injury sustained while playing for BG Pathum United (Thailand) in their 2–1 loss to Tampines Rovers on October 2.
The remaining 19 players are domestic-based talents who are performing well in their respective clubs, including several young prospects who impressed while representing Cambodia’s U-22 team in recent competitions.
