VIENTIANE, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Lao futsal team is preparing for the Futsal Championship of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) to be held in Thailand on Jan. 23-29.
The team, coach and officials travelled to Thailand on Monday where the Lao players will face three Thai teams in this week's friendly warm up matches ahead of the event.
On Tuesday, the Lao team will face Thailand's Wungphailom Futsal Club before playing against Highway Futsal Club on Wednesday, and the Thai national team on Thursday.
Earlier, the Lao futsal team had been in a training camp in Lao capital Vientiane for months to prepare for this year's championship.
At the AFF Futsal Championship, Laos is in Group B alongside Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar. Meanwhile, Group A consists of Thailand, Brunei and Timor Leste, according to the AFF's official website.
In July last year, Lao young futsal players competed at the eighth ASEAN School Games in Thailand but came away with no medal. Also in the same month, Lanexang United's futsal team representing Laos failed in the first round of the AFF Invitational Futsal Club Championship in Myanmar.
In an effort to give players on-field experience, the futsal sub-committee under the Lao Football Federation has organized a friendly competition in Vientiane each year which has helped in the selection of the nation's best players to compete at ASEAN level events in neighboring countries.
