The Thailand national football team began in 1916.  The team joined FIFA in 1925 and the Asian Football Confederation in 1957. The football association of Thailand has been under the spotlight in recent years due to poor facilities and administrative irregularities.

When the team was founded, it was known as the Siam national football team and continued to play under that name until 1949. The team has enjoyed some success in regional tournaments, having won the Southeast Asian Games and the King’s Cup.  Thailand has also appeared at the 1956 and 1968 Olympics, but has never won a match in the tournament.

More recently, the team has won the Tiger Cup several times and made the latter stages of the Asian Games. The 1998 Tiger Cup is notorious for the match between Thailand and Indonesia. The teams met in the last group game, both already qualified for the semi-finals.  The winner would face favourites Vietnam, and the loser would play the less favoured Singapore.  With the game level at 2-2 in extra-time, Indonesia scored a deliberate own-goal to lose the game.  Both teams were fined and both lost in the semi-finals while underdogs Singapore went on to win the cup.