Last week Myint Swe, the junta-backed acting president of Myanmar, made a shocking admission in warning that the country was in danger of breaking up after rebel ethnic groups made substantial gains in the north. Even if it means that the 2026 men’s World Cup qualification campaign is the nation’s last in its current form, the head coach, Michael Feichtenbeiner, wants his players to learn for the future, whatever it may hold.
Three months after the military seized power in February 2021, the White Angels went to Japan and suffered a double-digit defeat. This Thursday they are back there for the first game in the second round of qualification for the 2026 tournament, a time when the big boys of Asia make their first appearance.
“I hope we can do better than the 10-0 in terms of the result,” Feichtenbeiner says before the clash between a team ranked 158 in the world and one 140 places higher. “We know in football some wonders can happen and as a coach you have to believe in your chances. If we played 1,000 matches against Japan, we would lose 990 or 995 but maybe one we can win. If they play as they can we have no chance but sometimes in football, things can happen.”
Lots has happened in Myanmar since the last time they met, even if the country had fallen off the international radar somewhat even before events in Ukraine and then the Middle East. After the coup there were immediate and widespread protests from those, including footballers, who had tasted some freedoms in the preceding decade and refused to quietly return to the old days of repressive dictatorship. They were brutally put down but armed conflict with various ethnic and opposition groups spread around the country.
In the two years after the takeover, there were, according to the non-profit organisation Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), 32,000 political violence-related deaths. The turmoil means that the Myanmar National League, which restarted in 2022 after a gap of almost two years, takes place entirely in Yangon, the biggest city in the south.
“There are still restrictions but it is great that the league is going again after it stopped due to Covid and also the political situation,” Feichtenbeiner says. There are benefits from it being a Yangon competition, according to the German. “As a national coach it is good as I can watch almost all the games. On the other hand however, it’s not the same as a normal league as some teams don’t have any home games, the atmosphere in the stadiums is not like before. There is something we are missing.”
Also missing are fans who are less interested than before in watching the teams, a number of whom are owned by businessmen with close ties to the military rulers, such as Tay Za at Yangon United. Some players have been reluctant to play for a national team suddenly representing a different sort of regime.
“Now we have most players available but some still don’t want to play,” said Feichtenbeiner. Stars such as the striker Kyaw Ko Ko, now in Thailand, and the Malaysia-based defender Zaw Min Tun haven’t played for Myanmar since the coup. Others such as Aung Thu, a star forward, returned to the fold this year. “He is proud to return and play for his country as are most of the others,” Feichtenbeiner says. “In general, we have not had many problems.” Hein Htet Aung, who made headlines for displaying a three-fingered salute to show support for the protests during a Malaysian league game, is also playing again.
Those players left at home have struggled economically, with some having to take jobs to make ends meet. “The football situation makes the job more difficult but it comes from the situation of the whole country, which is difficult,” Feichtenbeiner says.
It wasn’t always like this. There were Asian Games golds in 1966 and 1970 and a place at the 1972 Olympics. Regionally, Myanmar shone, winning the Southeast Asian Games all five times between 1965 and 1973. After a dip later in the century, the political reforms that started in the previous decade and peaked in a resounding election win in 2015 for the National League of Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi, seemed to signal a football renaissance. There were huge celebrations upon qualification for the 2015 Under-20 World Cup.
The expected push to return to the top table of football in a region of almost 700 million people never happened. “These days other countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia invest much more money,” Feichtenbeiner says. “The clubs here can’t invest in foreign players or infrastructure and salaries are very low. If you don’t have a good club and league system then the national team can’t do much.”
The lucky players head overseas. “They can’t earn much money here and as they are cheaper than other players around south-east Asia and good players, they are in demand. So now we have players with experience overseas which is good for us but you have to accept that they sometimes come only one or two days before the game.”
They will need all the experience against Japan, a team that can field a squad of Europe-based players, and against North Korea and Syria. It is a really tough group. No one expects a top-two finish for Myanmar and a place in the final round but regardless of whether there is a Myanmar national team for much longer, the players can still benefit.
“In sport you can learn more from better opponents,” Feichtenbeiner says. “Sometimes you have to suffer a lot to improve in the future. We have some younger talents now, there is a new generation and some are in the squad. The key players are now 27 or 28 and can still learn and improve. We are the clear underdog in all six games. From this position, you can still do something. At home, I hope we can make some surprises and maybe a draw against one of the others or maybe a win if we are lucky. When a country is struggling, sport can provide a big hope.”
