Thailand Have Not Lost an ISTAF World Cup Yet and Sepak Takraw Is On at the Asian Games
The regions own sport returns to a multi-sport programme in Nagoya, after a calendar year that ran through Malaysia and Thailand.
Sepak takraw is on the programme at the Asian Games in Nagoya from 19 September to 4 October, which puts Southeast Asia's own competitive sport in front of a continental audience again.
The sanctioned calendar around it has been busy. The ISTAF World Cup was in Kuala Lumpur from 16 to 23 May. The 39th Thai King's Cup was in Bangkok from 3 to 11 August. The Asian Championship was in Nagoya from 30 January to 2 February. Before those, the Asian Cup was in Kuala Lumpur in May 2025 and the SEA Games events were in Nakhon Pathom and Songkhla in December 2025.
Thailand's record is the reason the sport has a competitive balance problem. Reported results have Thailand taking first place in every category since the World Cup began, the first edition of which Malaysia hosted in July 2011, and the country leads with 13 golds across the premier events.
Malaysia and Indonesia are the usual challengers, and the gap is narrower in the regu discipline than in the team events.
The U19 Asian Championship follows in Manila from 18 to 24 November.