Thailand vs Singapore, FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers: Why did Thailand not qualify despite beating Singapore?

Thailand finished its second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 second round of qualifiers on a high with a 3-1 over Singapore in Bangkok on Tuesday.

heerathon Bunmathan of Thailand shows dejection after the FIFA World Cup Asian second qualifier Group C match between Thailand and Singapore at Rajamangala National Stadium on June 11, 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Thailand finished its second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 second round of qualifiers on a high with a 3-1 over Singapore, at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok on Tuesday.

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Suphanat Mueanta opened the scoring for Thailand in the first half while Ikhsan Fandi equalised 11 minutes into the second half. However, Poramet Arjviral and Jaroensak Vongkorn scored two goals in seven minutes to secure a win for the host side.

WHY DID THAILAND NOT QUALIFY DESPITE BEATING SINGAPORE?

With the win, Thailand got to a identical points tally with China, with which it was competing for qualification into the third round.

Group C:

Positions	Teams	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Points
1	South Korea	6	5	1	0	20	1	19	16
2	China	6	2	2	2	9	9	0	8
3	Thailand	6	2	2	2	9	9	0	8
4	Singapore	6	0	1	5	5	24	-19	1

However, it did not qualify as it had a poor head-to-head record against China, with the latter beating Thailand at the same venue, in November last year.