The Myanmar national football team () represents Myanmar in men's international association football and is governed by the Myanmar Football Federation. The team has been affiliated with FIFA since 1952 and a member of AFC since 1954.
History
Early years (1937–1951) In 1937, East Bengal of Calcutta toured Burma. They would play against a Burmese selected team on October 13, being defeated 6–0. The following year, a Burmese XI toured India. This is one of the first documented national side of Burma, the tour also included Fred Pugsley, who was the first Burmese player to play for a foreign club. The team played a total of three matches, they defeated a Mohun Bagan–Calcutta XI by 3–2 on 28 May with Pugsley scoring twice and Dad netting in the other goal. The team also played against the India XI on 30 May which ended in a 2–2 draw with Pugsley scoring a brace.
After Independence, Burma would once again tour India, playing three matches against the I.F.A. XI. The first match was held on 24 August 1948, against I.F.A. XI, the match would end in a 1–1 draw, with Pugsley opening the scoring, and A. Mukherjee scoring the equaliser. Two days would follow for the second match, in which Burma would defeat the opposition by 2–1. Boomgardt would find the net twice to secure the win. The final match of the tour was held on 28 August, and ended in a 1–1 draw. After the tour concluded, the following day, a special arrangement was organized to celebrate Fred Pugsley, the team which was named "Fred Pugsley XI", would defeat East Bengal 2–0, with goals from Gwan Shein and Chan Sein.
The Golden Era (1952–1973)
In 1952, Burma played in the 1st Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament, held at Colombo, Ceylon. In the tournament, the team played their first match against India, losing 0–4, then facing off against Pakistan, where they lost by a goal. The third match against hosts Ceylon was cancelled due to the death of Ceylon's Prime Minister Mr. Don Stephen Senanayake. The team finished third place in the tournament behind Pakistan and India. Burma also played at the 1953, 1954, and 1955 editions of the tournament.
In 1954, Burma participated at the 1954 Asian Games and won a bronze medal, standing behind Taiwan and South Korea. On the other hand, the nation was not expected to contend for a medal in the Olympic-type Asian Games. In the meantime, this delegation became the first male Burmese team to win a continental medal. Against all odds, the Burma team bettered their 1954 effort by winning the gold medal in the Asian Games, which was held at Bangkok in the mid-1960s. In that tournament, Burma beat Iran in the gold-medal game.
The 1966 Asian Games gold medal-winning squad established itself as one of the two best teams in the region as it finished as runner-up to Iran at the 1968 AFC Asian Cup after losing against Iran and drawing against Republic of China. Having won a silver medal in 1968.
The men's soccer team had a strong performance in the early 1970s as it qualified to compete in the 1972 Summer Olympics, which was held at Munich (West Germany), upon being one of the three finalists in the Asian tournament. Despite only winning against Sudan with 2–0, the Burmese players won the Fair Play Award. The following year, the nation earned its fifth consecutive Southeast Asian Games gold medal in Singapore (Kuala Lumpur 1965, Bangkok 1967, Rangoon 1969, and Kuala Lumpur 1971).
Three years before that, the national team wrote perhaps their most important chapter: they captured the continental title for the second time in a row, after the Burmese Olympic Committee sent footballers to Thailand for the 1970 Asian Games. Burma thus became the third football squad to win the Asian tournament twice. They were declared national heroes in Rangoon, the then capital of Burma, with their second consecutive gold medal in men's soccer.
During this era, Burma produced footballers such as Suk Bahadur who is a Burmese footballer known for his contributions to Burmese football.
Over the following years, mainly due to political problems within the country, the national side's ability to defend its Asian title slowly faded away.
Decline and struggle (1974–2010) In the later years, Burma were unable to achieve similar results like in the golden era, due to many factors. The collapse of whole Burmese football system during the rule of Ne Win and later, the junta, had a negative impact on Burmese football team. Lack of funding and poor infrastructure prevented many Burmese players to play abroad, thus leading to retirement. At the same time, the rise of Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand made Myanmar's golden era fade away.
Despite this, Myanmar did win 2 medals: a silver medal in the 1993 Southeast Asian Games, in a loss to Thailand, and a bronze in the 2004 AFF Championship.
Resurgence (2011–2019) Myanmar's 2011 reforms had been a major point of turning Myanmar's football, which had declined since 1970s. During this era, a new wave of Burmese football had arrived with the change of Myanmar's political climate, after many years under junta's rule.
The arrival of the German manager Gerd Zeise has been the crucial turning point in Myanmar football. The Myanmar U20 team qualified to Myanmar's first ever FIFA tournament, the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup after progressing to the semi-finals in the 2014 AFC U19 Championship as host. In the 2016 AFF Championship, Myanmar, once again as host, went to semi-finals, only losing to the eventual champions, Thailand.
Despite these successes, problems remain. Myanmar's football capability has been questioned after their disastrous 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification; while at the same time, many teams in Asia have developed after many years in the shadows. Once again, Myanmar failed to qualify for 2019 AFC Asian Cup, when they suffered a tremendous 1–5 loss to Kyrgyzstan. In an effort to prepare the team for the 2018 AFF Championship, on 13 October 2018, Myanmar played an unsuccessful friendly match against Bolivia at the Thuwunna Stadium, losing 3–0. Under Antoine Hey, Myanmar also had an unsuccessful 2018 AFF Championship, when the team was knocked out at the group stage, and Hey would resign after the tournament.
Myanmar began their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification grouping with old rival Kyrgyzstan, as well as Tajikistan, Mongolia and especially powerhouse Japan. Under the guidance of the new manager Miodrag Radulović, Myanmar had a disastrous beginning when the team fell 0–1 to Mongolia away, 0–2 to Japan at home and especially a 0–7 away defeat to the Kyrgyz, causing the Montenegrin to be fired. After the defeat to Kyrgyzstan, old coach Antoine Hey returned, where he helped Myanmar to gain a shock home win 4–3 over Tajikistan before beating Mongolia 1–0 also at home to boost morale.
Descent (2020–2025) The COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar and subsequent 2021 Myanmar coup d'état greatly affected the national team, as several key players refused to represent Myanmar in international football due to the involvement of the junta. With a depleted squad, Myanmar suffered a record 10–0 defeat to Japan in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, before further losses to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan eliminated the team from both the World Cup and automatic qualification for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
Myanmar failed to advance from the group stage of the 2020 AFF Championship, recording a victory over Timor-Leste but defeats to Singapore and Thailand, before drawing with the Philippines. The team also endured a disappointing 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign, losing all three matches against Singapore, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
At the 2022 AFF Championship, Myanmar again exited in the group stage after losing to Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, while drawing with Laos. Following the tournament, head coach Antoine Hey resigned on 31 January 2023.
In March 2023, Michael Feichtenbeiner was appointed head coach. Myanmar showed signs of improvement during the year, recording victories over Macau and Nepal, before defeating Macau 5–1 on aggregate in the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification to advance to the second round.
Drawn alongside Japan, North Korea and Syria in the second round, Myanmar lost heavily to Japan and North Korea but earned a surprise 1–1 draw away to Syria before losing the return fixture 7–0. On 9 September 2024, the Myanmar Football Federation appointed former international Myo Hlaing Win as head coach.
At the 2024 ASEAN Championship, Myanmar defeated Laos, drew with the Philippines, and lost to Indonesia and Vietnam, finishing crashing out from the group stage.
Myanmar began the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification with consecutive home victories over Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, heavy defeats to Syria ultimately ended their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
New optimism (2026–present) Following a countless period of decline, the Myanmar Football Federation appointed Jørn Andersen as head coach on 4 July 2026. The former Norway international became the first European manager to take charge of the national team since 2013, with the objective of rebuilding the squad and restoring Myanmar's competitiveness in Southeast Asian football. Under Andersen, the team adopted a more structured and disciplined style of play while integrating a new generation of players. Myanmar recorded encouraging performances during the 2026 ASEAN Championship, including a 4–1 victory over Philippines and 7–2 thrashing win over Laos, signaling the beginning of a new chapter for the national team.
Team image
Kits and crest The Myanmar national team kit was made by FBT in a contract in effect from 2015 until 2018. On 6 November 2018, Warrix introduced a new Myanmar home and away kit. The home kit is a red shirt with red shorts and red socks. The away kit is a shirt, shorts and socks that is all white.
In November 2018, the Myanmar national team signed a six-year contract with Warrix Sports. The sports kit sponsorship contract was valued at US$5.67 million and it will run from 1 November 2018 to 31 December 2024.
In 2025, MFF formally ended its 6-year contract with the Thailand provider and announced a four-year partnership with Japanese brand Jogarbola, which is directly represented, sponsored and distributed by the Vietnamese firm Dong Luc Sport.
Myanmar national football team kitsKit ProviderPeriod Adidas2011–2013 Lotto2013–2015 FBT2015–2018 Warrix 2018–2024 Jogarbola2025–
Stadium Myanmar plays most of its home matches in Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. The stadium is larger and more up-to-date than the older Bogyoke Aung San Stadium. In 2013, the stadium was upgraded to a seating capacity of 50,000 spectators from the previous capacity of 32,000. It also hosted the 2016 AFF Championship Group B matches . Myanmar national football team home stadiumsImageStadiumCapacityLocationLast matchThuwunna Stadium50,000Yangonv (4 Agust 2026; 2026 ASEAN Championship)Mandalar Thiri Stadium31,270Mandalayv (7 November 2019; Friendly)
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
2025
2026
Coaching staff +SourcePositionName Technical Director Michiteru Mita Head coach Jørn Andersen Assistant Coach Richard Horlock Aung Kyaw Moe Min Thu Goalkeeping Coach Mike Kost Video Analyst Jun Hirabayashi Team Doctor Kyaw Thant Zin Media Officer Zaw Min Htike Videographer Saw Ye Mon Scouting Kyi Lwin Physiotherapist Thura Toe Equipment Manager Aung Kyaw Lin
Coaching history