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Laos national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Laos women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Laos
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) ລ້ານຊ້າງ / Lan Xang
(Million Elephants)
Association Lao Football Federation
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation AFF (Southeast Asia)
Head coach Ha Hyeok-jun
Captain Bounphachan Bounkong
Most caps Soukaphone Vongchiengkham (58)
Top scorer Visay Phaphouvanin (18)
Home stadium New Laos National Stadium
FIFA code LAO
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 184 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 134 (September 1998)
Lowest 210 (August 2012)
Elo ranking
Current 221 Decrease 9 (3 March 2019)
Highest 142 (1961)
Lowest 224 (June 2019)
First international
 South Vietnam 7–0 Laos 
(Rangoon, Burma; 12 December 1961)
Biggest win
 Laos 6–1 East Timor 
(Vientiane, Laos; 26 October 2010)
Biggest defeat
 United Arab Republic 15–0 Laos 
(Jakarta, Indonesia; 15 November 1963)
AFC Solidarity Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2016)
Best result Third place (2016)
AFF Championship
Appearances 12 (first in 1996)
Best result Group stage

The Laos national football team is the men's football team that plays for Laos. They are also known as Million Elephants. This team is part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). They also belong to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) in Southeast Asia.

History of Laos Football

Laos started its national football association in 1951. The team has not yet played in major international events. They have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup or the AFC Asian Cup. Their games have mostly been in regional tournaments. These include the Southeast Asian Games and the AFF Championship.

After a tough period, Laos focused on getting back on its feet. As the country became more stable, football grew in popularity.

Laos first played in the 1995 Southeast Asian Games. They also joined the first 1996 AFF Championship. In that championship, they tied with Vietnam 1–1. They also won against Cambodia 1–0. Even though they were new, Laos showed great passion and skill.

In 1995, they beat Brunei and the Philippines. Two years later, in the 1997 Southeast Asian Games, they won against Malaysia 1–0. They also beat the Philippines 4–1.

Local football is also active in Laos. Over 60 clubs play at different levels. Most top teams are made up of players from government groups.

In the qualifiers for the 2004 Asian Cup, Laos beat Bangladesh 2–1. For the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification, Laos moved to the second round. This happened because Guam and Nepal pulled out. However, Laos lost all their games in that round.

Laos also reached the second round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification. They beat Cambodia 8–6 overall. In the second round, they lost to China 13–3 overall.

Laos has had some good wins against teams like Brunei, Cambodia, and the Philippines. They have also beaten Singapore and Malaysia.

Laos played in their first big continental tournament in 2014. This was the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup. In 2016, Laos was invited to the first 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup. They were in a group with Macau, Sri Lanka, and Mongolia. Laos won against Sri Lanka 2–0. They then lost to Macau 1–4. But they bounced back with a 3–0 win against Mongolia. This sent them to the knockout stage. They played Nepal in the semi-finals. The score was 2–2 after extra time. Laos lost in a penalty shootout and left the cup.

In 2023, Laos played in the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification. They played against Nepal. On October 12, 2023, Laos tied 1–1 in Kathmandu. But they lost 1–0 at home, losing 2–1 overall. Laos will play in the 2024 ASEAN Championship. This will happen after two friendly matches in November 2024.

Recent Games and Upcoming Matches

Main article: Laos national football team results (2020–present)
See also: Laos national football team results

Here are the results from the last 12 months. Also, you can see any future games that are planned.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

Coaching Staff

Here are the people who help coach and manage the Laos national football team.

Position Name
Team manager Laos Khonesamai Chanthavongsay
Head coach South Korea Ha Hyeok-jun
Assistant coach South Korea Lee Yong-kyo
South Korea Lee Sang-hyuk
Laos Kanlaya Sysomvang
Goalkeeper coach South Korea Kim Beom-soo
Team doctor Laos Kittisay Oudomphon
Laos Khamsy Khounnivath
Interpreter South Korea Issac Kim
Equipment manager Laos Chanthaboun Minsy
Laos Souksomphone Vongkhamphoui
Media manager Laos Thipphakone Phakasy

Coaching History

This table shows the coaches who have led the Laos national football team over the years.

Name Period Matches Wins Draws Losses Win %
Laos Songphu Phongsa January 1996 – December 1999
Laos Outhensackda Vatthana July 1999 – June 2002
Laos Vangchay Muangmany February 2000 – May 2000
Russia Boris Zhuravlyov January 2001 – June 2001 1 0 0 1 0.00
Laos Soutsakhone Oudomphet March 2002 – April 2003
France Dominique Fernandez March 2003 – September 2003
Laos Saythong Syphasay October 2003 – October 2004 7 0 1 6 0.00
Laos Bounlap Khenkitisack October 2004 – September 2006 5 1 0 4 20.00
Laos Saythong Syphasay October 2006 – January 2008 7 3 1 3 42.86
Russia Valeriy Vdovin February 2008 – November 2008 4 3 0 1 75.00
Laos Saysana Savatdy December 2008 – July 2009 3 0 0 3 0.00
Austria Alfred Riedl July 2009 – July 2010 5 1 2 2 20.00
England David Booth July 2010 – December 2010 6 1 3 2 16.67
Laos Bounlap Khenkitisack January 2011 – February 2011 2 0 1 1 0.00
Austria Hans-Peter Schaller February 2011 – December 2011 4 1 0 3 25.00
Japan Kokichi Kimura May 2012 – January 2014 18 4 5 9 22.22
Japan Norio Tsukitate January 2014 – July 2014 5 0 1 4 0.00
England David Booth August 2014 – May 2015 10 4 1 5 40.00
England Steve Darby June 2015 – May 2016 6 0 1 5 0.00
Laos Valakone Phomphakdy (interim) May 2016 – December 2016 2 0 1 1 0.00
Laos Vernsavanh Sivisay (interim) 12–21 October 2016 2 1 0 1 50.00
Singapore Mike Wong June 2017 – August 2018 3 1 0 2 33.33
Singapore V. Sundramoorthy 15 October 2018 – 2019 8 1 3 4 12.50
Singapore V. Selvaraj December 2021 4 0 0 4 0.00
Germany Michael Weiß 7 January 2022 – 5 June 2023 13 3 1 9 23.07
Laos Kanlaya Sysomvang (interim) 20 September 2024 2 0 1 1 0
South Korea Ha Hyeok-jun 14 August 2024 – present 2 0 1 1 0

Players on the Team

Current Squad

These 29 players were chosen for the friendly matches in November 2024. They played against Malaysia and Thailand.

The numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of November 17, 2024, after the game against Thailand.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Keo-Oudone Souvannasangso (2000-06-19) 19 June 2000 (age 25) 10 0 Laos Lao Army
1GK Kop Lokphathip (2006-05-08) 8 May 2006 (age 19) 0 0 Laos Ezra
1GK Xaysavath Souvanhansok (1999-09-03) 3 September 1999 (age 25) 8 0 Laos Namtha United
1GK Anoulak Vilaphone (2001-02-15) 15 February 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Laos Young Elephants
2DF Phoutthavong Sangvilay (2004-10-16) 16 October 2004 (age 20) 13 2 Laos Ezra
2DF Phonsack Seesavath (2004-10-04) 4 October 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Laos Young Elephants
2DF Anantaza Siphongphan (2004-11-09) 9 November 2004 (age 20) 14 0 Laos Ezra
2DF Xeede Phomsouvanh (2002-03-28) 28 March 2002 (age 23) 4 0 Laos Ezra
2DF Phetdavan Somsanit (2004-04-24) 24 April 2004 (age 21) 2 0 Laos Master
2DF Chittakone Vannachone (2004-12-24) 24 December 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Laos Luang Prabang
2DF Xayasith Singsavang (2000-12-13) 13 December 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Laos Namtha United
2DF Sengdaovy Hanthavong (1998-10-04) 4 October 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Laos Young Elephants
2DF Salermsay Phommachanh (2004-08-04) 4 August 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Laos Ezra
2DF Somsavath Phomsopha (1997-05-25) 25 May 1997 (age 28) 0 0 Laos Master
3MF Chanthavixay Khounthoumphone (2004-02-17) 17 February 2004 (age 21) 11 0 Laos Ezra
3MF Phoutthalak Thongsanith (2002-12-03) 3 December 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Laos Ezra
3MF Phousomboun Panyavong (2007-06-20) 20 June 2007 (age 18) 0 0 Laos Lao Army
3MF Phouluang Vinnavong (2005-01-12) 12 January 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Laos Champasak
3MF Anoulak Sayyalath (2003-10-05) 5 October 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Laos Namtha United
3MF Damoth Thongkhamsavath (2004-04-03) 3 April 2004 (age 21) 3 0 Laos Ezra
3MF Phoutthasay Khochalern (1995-12-29) 29 December 1995 (age 29) 25 2 Thailand Thap Luang United
3MF Anousone Xaypanya (2002-12-16) 16 December 2002 (age 22) 9 0 Laos Young Elephants
3MF Phithack Kongmathilath (1996-08-06) 6 August 1996 (age 28) 15 5 Laos Young Elephants
4FW Bounphachan Bounkong (captain) (2000-11-29) 29 November 2000 (age 24) 23 4 Cambodia Svay Rieng
4FW Kydavone Souvanny (1999-12-22) 22 December 1999 (age 25) 11 2 Laos Young Elephants
4FW Chony Wenpaserth (2002-11-27) 27 November 2002 (age 22) 13 1 Laos Ezra
4FW Peter Phanthavong (2006-02-15) 15 February 2006 (age 19) 0 0 Laos Ezra
4FW Sisawad Dalavong (1996-08-11) 11 August 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Laos Lao Army
4FW Soukphachan Lueanthala (2002-08-24) 24 August 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Laos Master

Recent Call-ups

These players have also been called to join the Laos squad in the last year.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Xouxana Sihalath (1996-07-22) 22 July 1996 (age 28) 5 0 Laos Lao Army Camp training in Thailand
DF Khounvang Soundala (2006-11-13) 13 November 2006 (age 18) 0 0 Laos Namtha United Camp training in Thailand
MF Phoutdavy Phommasane (1994-02-02) 2 February 1994 (age 31) 11 0 Laos Master Camp training in Thailand
MF Sinnakhone Khumanykham (2003-12-27) 27 December 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Laos Luang Prabang Camp training in Thailand
MF Souphan Khambaion (2000-01-30) 30 January 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Laos Young Elephants Camp training in Thailand
FW Cham Vanpaserth (1998-06-14) 14 June 1998 (age 27) 0 0 Laos Luang Prabang Camp training in Thailand

INJ Withdrew from the squad due to injury
PRE Included in the Preliminary squad or on standby
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension from the national team
WD Withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue

Team Records

Here are some interesting records for the Laos national football team. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for Laos.

Most Games Played

SoukaphoneVongchiengkamUthaiThani20Feb2021
Soukaphone Vongchiengkham has played the most games for Laos, with 58 appearances.

This table shows the players who have played the most games for Laos.

Rank Player Caps Goals Period
1 Soukaphone Vongchiengkham 58 15 2010–present
2 Saynakhonevieng Phommapanya 54 2 2006–2016
3 Visay Phaphouvanin 51 18 2002–2013
4 Khampheng Sayavutthi 50 15 2010–2017
5 Phoutthasay Khochalern 43 1 2013–present
6 Ketsada Souksavanh 36 3 2008–2014
7 Keoviengphet Liththideth 35 4 2010–2018
Khamphoumy Hanvilay 35 0 2011–2016
9 Khonesavanh Sihavong 34 6 2012–2017
10 Chalana Luang-Amath 32 5 1996–2004

Top Goalscorers

This table shows the players who have scored the most goals for Laos.

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Period
1 Visay Phaphouvanin 18 51 0.35 2002–2013
2 Khampheng Sayavutthi 15 50 0.3 2010–2017
Soukaphone Vongchiengkham 15 58 0.26 2010–present
4 Bounlap Khenkitisack 6 16 0.38 1993–2000
Lamnao Singto 6 20 0.3 2004–2011
Phithack Kongmathilath 6 23 0.26 2017–present
Phatthana Syvilay 6 31 0.19 2010–2016
Khonesavanh Sihavong 6 34 0.18 2012–2017
9 Kanlaya Sysomvang 5 19 0.26 2010–2012
Sitthideth Khanthavong 5 24 0.21 2012–2016
Chalana Luang-Amath 5 32 0.16 1996–2004

Competition Records

Here's how the Laos national football team has performed in different tournaments.

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup qualification
Year Round Pld W D L F A Pld W D L F A
1930 to 1950 Part of  France Part of  France
1954 to 1998 Did not enter Did not enter
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 6 1 1 4 3 40
Germany 2006 8 0 1 7 3 36
South Africa 2010 Did not enter Did not enter
Brazil 2014 Did not qualify 4 1 0 3 9 21
Russia 2018 8 1 1 6 6 29
Qatar 2022 2 0 1 1 0 1
Canada Mexico United States 2026 2 0 1 1 1 2
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/19 – – – – – – 30 3 5 22 22 129

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup record AFC Asian Cup qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 Did not enter Did not enter
South Korea 1960
Israel 1964
Iran 1968
Thailand 1972 Withdrew Withdrew
Iran 1976
Kuwait 1980
Singapore 1984 Did not enter Did not enter
Qatar 1988
Japan 1992
United Arab Emirates 1996
Lebanon 2000 Did not qualify 3 1 0 2 2 14
China 2004 2 1 0 1 3 6
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Did not enter Did not enter
Qatar 2011
Australia 2015 Did not qualify AFC Challenge Cup
United Arab Emirates 2019 12 1 2 9 8 41
Qatar 2023 2 0 1 1 0 1
Saudi Arabia 2027 To be determined To be determined
Total – 0/18 – – – – – – 19 3 3 13 13 62

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Year Result M W D L GF GA
Thailand 1998 21st 2 0 0 2 1 11
2002–present See Laos national under-23 football team
Total 1/13 2 0 0 2 1 11

AFC Challenge Cup

AFC Challenge Cup record
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA
Bangladesh 2006 Removed by AFC
India 2008 Withdrew
Sri Lanka 2010 did not enter
Nepal 2012 did not qualify
Maldives 2014 Group stage 8/8 3 0 1 2 1 7
Total Group stage 1/5 3 0 1 2 1 7

AFC Solidarity Cup

AFC Solidarity Cup record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
Malaysia 2016 Third place 5 3 1 1 11 9

ASEAN Championship

This competition used to be called the Tiger Cup.

ASEAN Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Singapore 1996 Group stage 7th 4 1 1 2 5 10 No qualification
Vietnam 1998 7th 3 0 1 2 2 8 2 1 0 1 2 4
Thailand 2000 9th 4 0 0 4 0 16 No qualification
Indonesia Singapore 2002 8th 3 0 1 2 3 8
Malaysia Vietnam 2004 8th 4 1 0 3 4 16
Singapore Thailand 2007 8th 3 0 0 3 1 23 4 3 1 0 11 6
Indonesia Thailand 2008 8th 3 0 0 3 0 13 4 3 0 1 9 7
Indonesia Vietnam 2010 8th 3 0 1 2 3 13 3 1 2 0 8 3
Malaysia Thailand 2012 7th 3 0 1 2 6 10 4 2 1 1 5 4
Singapore Vietnam 2014 8th 3 0 0 3 2 12 4 3 0 1 10 6
Myanmar Philippines 2016 did not qualify 3 2 0 1 7 6
ASEAN 2018 Group stage 9th 4 0 0 4 3 12 Qualified automatically
Singapore 2020 9th 4 0 0 4 1 14
ASEAN 2022 9th 4 0 1 3 2 15
ASEAN 2024 To be determined
Total Group stage 14/15 45 2 6 37 32 170 24 15 4 5 52 36

Head-to-Head Records

This section shows how Laos has played against other teams. The last update was after the game against Thailand on November 17, 2024.

Key
Positive balance (more Wins)
Neutral balance (equal W/L ratio)
Negative balance (more Losses)
Opponents Pld W D L GF GA GD Confederation
 Afghanistan 3 0 2 1 1 3 -2 AFC
 Bangladesh 5 1 2 2 4 5 -1 AFC
 Bhutan 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 AFC
 Brunei 11 10 0 1 30 15 +15 AFC
 Cambodia 17 6 3 8 24 30 -6 AFC
 China 2 0 0 2 3 13 −10 AFC
 Chinese Taipei 4 0 1 3 4 10 −6 AFC
 Egypt 1 0 0 1 0 15 -15 CAF
 Guam 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 AFC
 Hong Kong 3 0 0 3 3 13 −10 AFC
 India 2 0 0 2 1 7 −6 AFC
 Indonesia 10 0 1 9 9 45 −36 AFC
 Iran 3 0 0 3 1 20 −19 AFC
 Jordan 2 0 0 2 2 8 −6 AFC
 Kazakhstan 1 0 0 1 0 5 −5 UEFA
 Kuwait 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 AFC
 Lebanon 2 0 0 2 0 9 −9 AFC
 Lesotho 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 CAF
 Macau 2 0 0 2 2 7 -5 AFC
 Malaysia 20 1 5 16 11 62 −51 AFC
 Maldives 4 0 1 3 3 15 −12 AFC
 Mongolia 5 3 1 1 8 5 +3 AFC
 Myanmar 18 0 4 14 11 55 −44 AFC
   Nepal 6 0 3 3 5 9 −4 AFC
 Oman 0 0 0 2 0 19 −19 AFC
 Philippines 13 7 2 4 22 21 +1 AFC
 Qatar 0 0 0 2 1 11 −10 AFC
 Saudi Arabia 0 0 0 1 0 4 −4 AFC
 Singapore 13 1 1 11 12 42 −30 AFC
 South Korea 7 0 0 5 0 28 −28 AFC
 Sri Lanka 7 3 2 2 11 12 -1 AFC
 Syria 2 0 0 2 0 20 −20 AFC
 Thailand 13 1 2 10 15 46 −31 AFC
 East Timor 8 7 0 1 22 9 +13 AFC
 Turkmenistan 2 0 0 2 3 9 −6 AFC
 United Arab Emirates 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9 AFC
 Vietnam ^ 22 0 2 20 5 86 −81 AFC
Total (37) 214 42 31 141 219 671 −452

^ Includes the results of  North Vietnam and  South Vietnam.

Team Achievements

Here are the awards and honors the Laos national football team has won.

Continental Awards

  • AFC Solidarity Cup
    • Med 3.png Third place (1): 2016

Friendly Tournament Awards

  • 2023 Prime Minister's Three Nations Cup
    • Med 2.png Runners-up (1): 2023

Summary of Awards

Competition 1 2 3 Total
AFC Solidarity Cup 0 0 1 1
Total 0 0 1 1

Kit Suppliers

This table shows the companies that have made the uniforms for the Laos national football team.

Kit supplier Period Notes
Germany Adidas 2004
Thailand Deffo 2006–2007
Thailand FBT 2008–2014
Thailand King Tiger 2015–2016
Thailand FBT 2016–2019
Thailand Grand Sport 2019–

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Laos para niños

  • Laos national under-23 football team
  • Laos women's national football team
  • Laos national under-21 football team
  • Laos national under-20 football team
  • Laos national under-17 football team
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