2025, JANUARY 08 – The Football Association of Thailand announced Futoshi Ikeda, the former head coach of the Japan Women’s National Team, “Nadeshiko Japan,” has been appointed as the head coach of the Thailand Women’s Football National Team.
On the association’s website, Ikeda commented, “First, I would like to express my gratitude to the Football Association of Thailand, especially President Nualphan Lamsam, for this great honour.” He added, “When I received the offer, I felt very proud and excited about this opportunity. Although this is my first time working abroad, leading the Thailand national team is a challenging mission tied to the goal of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. I want to use all my experience and abilities to lead the team and achieve our objectives.” He also called on Thai football fans, saying, “Please welcome and support me.”
Ikeda has held various coaching roles, including at J.League’s Urawa Red Diamonds, and led Japan to victory in the U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2018. He became the head coach of Nadeshiko Japan in 2021 and reached the quarterfinals in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. He stepped down after the team’s elimination in the quarterfinals and the conclusion of the Paris Olympics last summer.
