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.
