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| Full name | True Bangkok United Football Club สโมสรฟุตบอลทรู แบงค็อก ยูไนเต็ด | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Bangkok Angels (แข้งเทพ) | |||
| Short name | BUFC | |||
| Founded | 1988; 37 years ago (1988) asBangkok University Football Club[1] 2009; 16 years ago (2009) asBangkok United | |||
| Ground | True BG Stadium Pathum Thani, Thailand | |||
| Capacity | 15,114 | |||
| Owner | True Corporation | |||
| Chairman | Kachorn Chiaravanont | |||
| Head coach | Totchtawan Sripan | |||
| League | Thai League 1 | |||
| 2024–25 | Thai League 1, 2nd of 16 | |||
| Website | www | |||
 Current season | ||||
True Bangkok United Football Club (Thai:สโมสรฟุตบอลทรู แบงค็อก ยูไนเต็ด) is a professionalfootball club based inPathum Thani province, Thailand. Known asBangkok University Football Club until 2009, the club was relegated from the2010 Thai Premier League only four years after winning their first league title in 2006. In 2012 they were promoted toThai League 1, after finishing third in the2012 Thai Division 1 League.[2][3]
The club has won 1Thai League 1 title, 1Thai League 2 title and 1Thailand Champions Cup in their history.[4]
The club was originally formed asBangkok University in 1988 as a team for students atBangkok University's Rangsit Campus inPathum Thani province, just north ofBangkok, the club have gone from provincial football, and winning university-level titles, to being a professionally run outfit in the top flight in the Thai Premier League.[5]
Along the way to the Top flight, they won theThai Division 1 League in 2003 and even captured the2006 Thailand Premier League title against the odds, which has also enabled the club to taste life in theAFC Champions League.[6]
The club appeared in the2007 AFC Champions League but played their home matches in the group stage away from the club's home. The first match on 7 March 2007 against Korea'sChunnam Dragons was played at theThai-Japanese Stadium in Bangkok and the second, on 25 April against Indonesia'sArema Malang, was played at theThai Army Sports Stadium in Bangkok, where tickets cost 50 baht. Both matches ended 0–0. The third, against Japan'sKawasaki Frontale, was played at the Thai Army Sports Stadium. The team has failed to qualify for the next stage.[citation needed]
Bangkok University always used theBangkok University Stadium for domestic competitions until the end of the2008 Thailand Premier League season. The stadium was based on the Bangkok University's Rangsit Campus and had a capacity of 5,000, currently used by the club as a training ground.[citation needed]
At the start of the 2009 season, the club changed their club name fromBangkok University toBangkok United with a partnership with theBangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to be in line with theFootball Association of Thailand's (FAT) new regulations that all teams in the top flight must be registered as limited companies. They also changed their club nickname to 'Bangkok Angels', and were officially unveiled on 4 March 2009.[7]
Also, with this name change, the club relocated to a new stadium, theThai-Japanese Stadium which was based further center in Greater Bangkok. The stadium is for multi-use, such as athletics and football and holds a capacity of 10,320. The stadium was also shared byThai Port whilst they waited for their stadium to be upgraded. On 31 May 2009, after 5 home matches, the club returned to using Bangkok University Stadium as a home ground again until the renovations of Thai-Japanese Stadium were finished before the start of 2009 season's second leg in August. Bangkok United narrowly escaped relegation in the2009 Thai Premier League.[citation needed]
For the2010 Thai Premier League season, Bangkok United was backed by Thai media companyTrue Corporation. The early season optimism did not last long and the 2010 campaign ended in relegation. The Angels only won two home games all season. Rather surprisingly the two victories were against high-fliersBuriram PEA andChonburi. Incidentally, both victories were achieved at theBangkok University Stadium after they switched their home fixtures from theThai-Japanese Stadium to the university midway through the season.[8]
In the2015 season, the club move to theThammasat Stadium to pass the assignment ofAFC Champions League stadium regulation.[10] Brazilian head coachAlexandré Pölking improved the club during the season before to finish fifth in the Thai Premier League. Since 2015, the club became one of big club in Thailand league. The team under Pölking has been widely praised for instilling an energetic, play with a galivanting style of attacking football reaching levels of intensity that are rarely seen in this league.[11]
Entering the2016 season, Bangkok United ended in second place in the Thai League 1 and created history by claiming 75 points – the club's highest points in a single season. The team missed an opportunity to qualify for the2016 AFC Champions League by failing to beat Malaysian clubJohor Darul Ta'zim in the qualifying play-offs match.[12]
In 2017, Bangkok United started winning 1–0 againstNavy on the opening day in the league. Nevertheless, The team managed to end their season on a high note by finishing third in the Thai League 1 and reaching the2017 Thai FA Cup final, losing 4–2 toChiangrai United. Despite coming third, The club managed to be the league highest scorers with 97 goals from 34 games, making them the most productive team in the division by far and finishing just one short of breaking a record set byBuriram United themselves in 2015. A big contributing factor to this was the goals from attacking duoDragan Bošković andMario Gjurovski who netted 50 goals between them.[13]
In the2018 season, Bangkok United ended in second place with 71 points.[14]
In the2022–23 season, Bangkok United ended in second place with 62 points and also ended up as the runners-up in the2022–23 Thai FA Cup.
In 2023, after a long 15 years absent, Bangkok United returns to theAFC Champions League group stage being drawn in Group F withJeonbuk Hyundai Motors,Kitchee SC andLion City Sailors. On 20 September 2023, the club plays its first AFC Champions League match away from home coming back from 1–0 down to eventually winning the game to 1–2 with goals from club captain,Everton andThitiphan Puangchan at theJalan Besar Stadium. On 4 October 2023, Bangkok United secured a famous 3–2 home victory againstKorean champions,Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors taking them to the top of the group with 6 points on matchday 2. Bangkok United went on to become group leaders with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 lost, being 1 point ahead of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors thus seeing the club qualifying to the round of 16. Bangkok United then faced off against2022 J1 League champions,Yokohama F. Marinos where both team settled for a 2–2 draw in the first leg. While in the second leg, Bangkok United managed to hold on Yokohama F. Marinos until extra-time where they conceded a late penalty in the 120+2th minute. Bangkok United lost 3–2 on aggregate and was knocked out by the eventual runners-up of the tournament.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | UTD | JBH | LCS | KIT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bangkok United | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 13 | Advance toround of 16 | — | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |
| 2 |  Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 12 | 3–2 | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | ||
| 3 |  Lion City Sailors | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 6 | 1–2 | 2–0 | — | 0–2 | ||
| 4 |  Kitchee | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 4 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — |
Bangkok United ended up the2023–24 season in second place with 61 points where the club won the2023–24 Thai FA Cup in a penalties shootout againstDragon Pathumwan Kanchanaburi. Bangkok United then qualified to the2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite qualifying play-offs facing against Chinese clubShandong Taishan on 13 August 2024. However, Bangkok United failed to qualified to the2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite after losing 4–3 on penalties shootout thus seeing the club entering the2024–25 AFC Champions League Two being drawn in Group G alongside Singaporean clubTampines Rovers, Hong Kong clubLee Man and Vietnamese clubNam Định. Bangkok United went on to top the group in the AFC Champions League Two with 13 points seeing the team advance to the round of 16. In the round of 16, Bangkok United faced off against Australian clubSydney FC whereThitiphan Puangchan scored an 90+6 stoppage time equaliser which sees the match ended at 2–2 at theSydney Football Stadium. In the second leg at home, Bangkok United went on to lose 3–2 in extra time bowing out from the tournament with a 5–4 losing aggregate.
Becoming the 2024–25 runners-up in the league, Bangkok United sees themselves qualified for 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite qualifying play-off and also the regional2025–26 ASEAN Club Championship. In the ASEAN Club Championship, Bangkok United was then drawn in the group of death alongside regional powerhouse with Malaysian clubJohor Darul Ta'zim, Vietnamese clubNam Định, Singaporean clubLion City Sailors who went on to become the finalist of the2025 AFC Champions League Two final and Cambodian clubPreah Khan Reach Svay Rieng who was the finalist of the2025 AFC Challenge League final.
Bangkok United signed a collaboration agreement withSurasakmontree School[15] andBangkok Christian College.[16] These agreements resulted in the introduction of young players from these schools joining the first team such asSasalak Haiprakhon,Sarayut Sompim,Jakkit Wachpirom,Anusith Termmee,Nattawut Suksum,Wisarut Imura, andGuntapon Keereeleang.[citation needed]
Bangkok United operate Youth and Junior Youth teams as part of their academy to nurture local talent under a big project"cp-dreams." (Thai lit. ซีพี สานฝัน...ปันโอกาส).[17] In 2019, 7 youth players of"cp-dreams." project fromBangkok Christian College were call-ups to Thailand U-12 and they helped Thailand U-12 to finish in third place inU-12 Junior Soccer World Challenge football tournament.[18] – beatTokyo Verdy Junior, 2–0 beatBarcelona, 1-0 and beat JFA Training Center Osaka, 2–1.[19]
True BG Stadium is afootball stadium inThanyaburi,Pathum Thani,Thailand. The stadium is currently shared withBG Pathum United. Previously known for its iconic three-sided main stand, the newly constructed fourth stand expanded the stadium's capacity to 15,114 spectators. It is located close toBangkok.[22]
List of Bangkok United jersey since their interceptions in 2009.
| Year | Kit manufacturer | Main sponsors |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 |  Adidas | Chang |
| 2010–2013 | FBT | True Corporation |
| 2014–2015 | Ari | PlanB.media |
| 2016–2017 | True Corporation | |
| 2017–2019 | True Corporation | |
| 2020–2022 | True Corporation | |
| 2023–2025 | True Corporation
| |
| 2025–present | Adidas | True Corporation |
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Champions League Elite | 18 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 19 | 24 | −5 | 022.22 |
| AFC Champions League Two | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 23 | 16 | +7 | 058.33 |
| ASEAN Club Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 000.00 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | AFC Champions League | Group F | Chunnam Dragons | 0–0 | 2–3 | 4th out of 4 |
 Kawasaki Frontale | 1–2 | 1–1 | ||||
 Arema Malang | 0–0 | 0–1 | ||||
| 2017 | AFC Champions League | Preliminary round 2 |  Johor Darul Ta'zim | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–5p) | ||
| 2019 | AFC Champions League | Preliminary round 2 |  Hanoi | 0–1 | ||
| 2023–24 | AFC Champions League | Group F | Lion City Sailors | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1st out of 4 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3–2 | 2–3 | ||||
| Kitchee | 1–1 | 2–1 | ||||
| Round of 16 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 2–2 | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | ||
| 2024–25 | AFC Champions League Elite | Play-off round |  Shandong Taishan | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–4p) | ||
| AFC Champions League Two | Group G | Nam Định | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1st out of 4 | |
| Lee Man | 4–1 | 1–0 | ||||
| Tampines Rovers | 4–2 | 0–1 | ||||
| Round of 16 |  Sydney FC | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | 2–2 | 4–5 (a.e.t.) | ||
| 2025–26 | AFC Champions League Elite | Play-off round | Chengdu Rongcheng | 0–3 | ||
| AFC Champions League Two | Group G | Selangor | 4–2 | |||
| Lion City Sailors | 1–0 | 2–1 | ||||
| Persib Bandung | 0–2 | |||||
| ASEAN Club Championship | Group B | Johor Darul Ta'zim | — | 0–4 | ||
| Lion City Sailors | — | |||||
| Nam Định | — | |||||
 PKR Svay Rieng | — | |||||
 Shan United | — | |||||
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Team Manager | Suradej Anandapong |
| Head coach | Totchtawan Sripan |
| Assistant coach | Panupong Wongsa |
| Sarif Sainui | |
| Head of Analysis |  Pedro Ramos |
| Goalkeeping coach | Peerasit Mahothon |
| Assistant goalkeeper coach | Kittinan Chockcharoenlarp |
| Physical & Fitness coaches | Watcharachai Rajphaetyakhom |
| Tosaphon Doungjai | |
| Head of Medicine |  Janilson Quadros da silva |
| Physiotherapist | Mongkhon Saethao |
| Interpreter | Nuttapat Lertchanapisit |
| Team's Staff | Chatchai Phuengthong |
| Aryuwat Dawngin | |
| Director of academy | Danny Invincibile |
| Under-23s lead coach | Jirawat Lainananukul |
Managerial history (2001–present)
| Name | Period | Honours |
|---|---|---|
| Somchai Subpherm | 2001–2009 | –2006 Thailand Premier League – 2002–03Thai League 2 |
| Worakorn Wichanarong | 2010 | |
| Prapol Pongpanich | 2010 – October 2011 | |
| Suwaroch Apiwatwarachai | October 2011 – January 2012 | |
| Sasom Pobprasert | January 2012 – January 2014 | |
| Rui Bento | January 2014 – April 2014 | |
| Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul | April 2014 – June 2014 | |
| Alexandré Pölking | June 2014 – October 2020 | |
| Danny Invincibile (interim) | October 2020 – November 2020 | |
| Totchtawan Sripan | November 2020 – March 2022 | |
| Aurelio Vidmar | March 2022 – December 2022 | |
| Totchtawan Sripan | December 2022 – present | –2023–24 Thai FA Cup –2023 Thailand Champions Cup |
