2025–26 Thai League 3

9th season of the Thai League 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2025–26 Thai League 3 (known as the BYD Dolphin League III for sponsorship reasons) will be the ninth season of the Thai League 3, the third tier of professional football in Thailand.[1] A total of 68 clubs will participate, divided into six regional groups: Northern (12 clubs), Central (11 clubs), Northeastern (12 clubs), Eastern (12 clubs), Western (11 clubs), and Southern (10 clubs).

Season2025–26
Dates13 September 2025 – TBD
Quick facts Season, Dates ...
2025–26 Thai League 3
Season2025–26
Dates13 September 2025 – TBD
2026–27 →
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The season is scheduled to begin on 13 September 2025 with the opening matches of the Regional Stage. In this stage, clubs compete within their respective regions, with the champions and runners-up from each group advancing to the National Championship Stage. The final phase will feature 12 clubs and conclude with the national final in 2026 (date to be confirmed). The winners, the runners-up, and the winner of the third-place play-off will be promoted to the Thai League 2 for the 2026–27 season.

For sponsorship purposes, the three professional tiers in Thailand have been rebranded for the 2025–26 season as BYD SEALION 6 League I (Thai League 1), BYD SEAL 5 League II (Thai League 2), and BYD DOLPHIN League III (Thai League 3).

Seasonal Changes

The 2025–26 Thai League 3 season features a number of changes compared to the previous campaign. These include the promotion and relegation of clubs between divisions, several club renamings and rebrandings, and the introduction of a new title sponsor, BYD Auto, which rebranded the competition as the BYD Dolphin League III for sponsorship reasons.

Relegation from Thai League 2

Originally, three clubs were scheduled to be relegated from the 2024–25 Thai League 2 to the Thai League 3.

However, during the 2024–25 season, Samut Prakan City were expelled due to finanical problems and folded, with their record being expunged. At the end of the season, Lampang, who had finished fifth, also folded.

Accordingly, Pattaya United, who had originally finished in 16th out of the 17 remaining clubs, was reprieved from relegation.

Suphanburi, who finished last in the Thai League 2, were the only club relegated. They have been placed in the Western region of Thai League 3, in line with the location of their home ground in Western Thailand.

Promotions from Thailand Semi-pro League

Normally, the champions of each of the six regional groups of the 2025 Thailand Semi-pro League would be promoted to the Thai League 3.[2] However, in the Western region, the champions, The Wall, failed club licensing and were denied promotion. As a result, only five regional champions earned direct promotion, with several additional clubs promoted under special quotas due to licensing issues and adjustments to balance the number of teams in each group.

Northern Region
  • Phichit United – promoted as regional champions.
  • Chiangrai TSC – promoted as runners-up under a special quota, increasing the Northern group from 11 to 12 clubs.
Central Region
Northeastern Region
Eastern Region
  • Banbueng City – promoted as regional champions, later renamed Burapha United.
Southern Region

Promotion to Thai League 2

The top three clubs from the 2024–25 Thai League 3 season have been promoted to Thai League 2: Rasisalai United (National champion), Songkhla (National runners-up), and Pattani (National third-place).

Clubs relegated due to club licensing failures

In addition to the regular relegations, four clubs were demoted from Thai League 3 after failing to obtain a club licensing certificate for the 2025–26 season.

  • AUU Inter Bangkok (Central region) – failed licensing and were removed from the league.
  • Dome (Central region) – withdrew from the league; as a consequence, Saraburi United, who finished bottom of the Central region table, retained their place in Thai League 3.
  • Maraleina (Western region) – Withdrew from the league as the owner are part of Samui United.
  • Phatthalung (Southern region) – failed licensing and were relegated.

As a result, these vacancies contributed to adjustments in the promotion and relegation process, ensuring each region maintained a balanced number of clubs for the 2025–26 season.

Clubs relegated due to finishing last in their regions

Alongside the licensing-related relegations, four clubs were demoted from Thai League 3 after finishing at the bottom of their respective regional leagues in the 2024–25 season.

  • Phitsanulok Unity (Northern region) – relegated after finishing last in the Northern table.
  • Samut Prakan (Eastern region) – relegated as the bottom-placed club in the Eastern region.
  • Kanchanaburi City (Western region) – finished last in the Western region and were relegated.
  • Yala City (Southern region) – relegated after finishing bottom in the Southern standings.

In the Central region, the lowest-placed side, Saraburi United, was spared relegation because AUU Inter Bangkok and Dome had already been demoted due to licensing failures. Meanwhile, in the Northeastern region, no club was relegated at all, as the bottom-placed side was allowed to remain for balance after Rasisalai United's promotion to Thai League 2.

Sponsorship and Broadcasting

In the 2025–26 season, Thai League 3 will operate under a title sponsorship arrangement for the first time: BYD Auto (through BYD Rêver Thailand) has become the main sponsor for all three professional tiers in Thailand, including Thai League 3, rebranding it as the BYD Dolphin League III.[6]

On the broadcasting side, a landmark media rights deal was struck, giving AIS Play (in partnership with Gulf and JAS)[7] exclusive rights to stream all matches from Thai Leagues 1, 2, and 3, plus domestic cups and youth competitions for the 2025–26 through 2028–29 seasons.[8] Under this agreement, Thai League 3 matches can be watched live for free via AIS Play, and fans will no longer rely solely on individual clubs' streaming efforts (e.g., via YouTube or Facebook), as they did in previous seasons.

Club name and logo changes

Several clubs have rebranded or changed their logos for the 2025–26 season:

  • Chiangmai (Northern region), introduced a new logo for the 2025–26 season. The previous crest, which featured a half-body tiger with the Three Kings above, was replaced by a modern design showing the metallic head of a roaring steel tiger next to a football, with the traditional Three Kings motif removed.[9]
  • Phichit United (Northern region), newly promoted from the Thailand Semi-pro League, introduced a minor update to their existing crocodile-themed emblem. The crest continues to depict a muscular crocodile from the chest upward, in a half-portrait style. For the 2025–26 season, the design was modified by adding the Thai letter "ธ" on the crocodile's chest and updating the founding year displayed at the bottom from "2021" to "2025".
  • Uttaradit (Northern region), previously known as TPF Uttaradit, officially changed their club name to "Uttaradit". The club retained its existing crest design, but the lettering within the emblem was updated: the abbreviation "TPF" was replaced with "UTTFC". All other visual elements of the logo remain unchanged.
  • Royal Thai Air Force (Central region), introduced a completely new crest. The previous emblem, which closely resembled the insignia of the Royal Thai Air Force with golden wings, a star, a tricolour shield, and a radiant crown, was replaced by a minimalist and modern design featuring geometric shapes representing wings and a star, with the club's name in Thai "ทหารอากาศ เอฟซี" displayed below.
  • Singburi Warriors (Central region), a newly promoted club, unveiled a redesigned crest upon their promotion from the Thailand Semi-pro League. The previous emblem featured two red Singha lions facing each other with a football at the center, while the new design simplifies the imagery to a single silver Singha lion alongside a football, set against a two-tone maroon and gold shield with the club's name in a stylized font.
  • Korat City (Northeastern region), formerly known as Suranaree Black Cat, underwent a rebranding before the 2025–26 Thai League 3 season. The change included both a new club name and a redesigned crest. The previous emblem, which featured a stylized black cat head in a minimalist design, was replaced with a modern shield-shaped logo that displays a grey cat head with a fierce expression under the banner Wonder Cat Korat City.
  • Udon United (Northeastern region), introduced a new crest ahead of the 2025–26 season. The previous logo featured a wolf head design with white markings on the mouth and eyebrows on a bright yellow background. It was replaced with a simplified version that retains the wolf head motif but with darker tones and a deeper yellow background, while maintaining the inscription "Since 2018" at the bottom of the shield.
  • Burapha United (Eastern region), formerly known as Banbueng City, changed their name and logo following promotion from the Thailand Semi-pro League to the 2025–26 Thai League 3 Eastern region. The club replaced its previous emblem, which featured a blue buffalo head, with a newly designed crest depicting a cheetah head accompanied by laurel leaves, a football, and the inscription Since 2025.[10]
  • Customs United (Eastern region), formerly Toko Customs United, simplified their club identity by dropping the prefix "Toko" from both their name and emblem. The crest now displays only the wording "Customs United", while all other design elements remain the same.
  • Samut Sakhon City (Western region), updated their crest ahead of the 2025–26 season. The previous circular logo, which featured a photographic tiger head within a blue border, was replaced with a shield-shaped design that retains the tiger motif but incorporates additional maritime elements, including an anchor and a ship's wheel, along with the inscription Since 2022.[11]
  • Samut Songkhram City (Western region), updated their crest ahead of the 2025–26 season. The previous version featured a red shield with a stylized stingray motif and the inscriptions "SSC 2021". The revised crest retained the red shield and stingray motif but adopted a more dimensional appearance and replaced the inscriptions with "Samut Songkhram City".
  • Chumphon United (Southern region), a newly promoted club from the Thailand Semi-pro League, has updated its logo by adopting a more dimensional appearance.
  • PT Satun changed their logo by adding text "PT" into the club's logo and renamed to "PT Satun".

Regional stage

The Regional Stage of the 2025–26 Thai League 3 includes 68 clubs divided into six regions: Northern (12 clubs), Central (11 clubs), Northeastern (12 clubs), Eastern (12 clubs), Western (11 clubs), and Southern (10 clubs). Each region operates in a round-robin format where clubs play each other in both home and away matches. The top two clubs from each region, the champion and the runner-up, qualify for the National Championship Stage. This stage serves to determine the regional winners and which clubs advance to the national competition.

Northern region

Main article: 2025–26 Thai League 3 Northern Region
League table
More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Uttaradit (C, Q) 22 12 9 1 55 15 +40 45 Qualification to the National Championship stage
2 Chiangmai (Q) 22 12 6 4 41 24 +17 42
3 Phichit United 22 9 7 6 39 29 +10 34
4 Khelang United 22 10 3 9 30 29 +1 33
5 Northern Nakhon Mae Sot United 22 7 11 4 25 20 +5 32
6 Maejo United 22 8 7 7 24 21 +3 31
7 Phitsanulok 22 7 9 6 24 29 −5 30
8 Chiangrai TSC 22 7 6 9 29 31 −2 27[a]
9 Chattrakan City 22 7 6 9 17 22 −5 27[a]
10 Chiangrai City 22 6 6 10 28 44 −16 24
11 Kamphaengphet 22 5 4 13 17 36 −19 19
12 Nakhon Sawan See Khwae City (R) 22 4 2 16 19 48 −29 14 Relegation to the Thailand Semi-pro League
Close
Source: Thai League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goal scored; 5) Overall goal difference; 6) Overall goal scored; 7) Fair play points; 8) Play-off without extra time).
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. [a]
    Chiangrai TSC ahead on head-to-head record; Chiangrai TSC 3 pts (GD +1), Chattrakan City 3 pts (GD -1).

Central region

Main article: 2025–26 Thai League 3 Central Region
League table
More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Prime Bangkok (C, Q) 20 14 5 1 47 14 +33 47 Qualification to the National Championship stage
2 North Bangkok University (Q) 20 11 4 5 29 16 +13 37
3 PTU Pathum Thani 20 10 6 4 31 28 +3 36[a]
4 Royal Thai Air Force 20 11 3 6 28 20 +8 36[a]
5 Angthong 20 10 4 6 31 21 +10 34
6 Chamchuri United 20 8 4 8 33 26 +7 28[b]
7 Kasem Bundit University 20 7 7 6 26 26 0 28[b]
8 Futera United 20 4 5 11 27 35 −8 17
9 Lopburi City 20 2 9 9 28 40 −12 15
10 Singburi Warriors 20 3 5 12 18 41 −23 14
11 Saraburi United (R) 20 2 4 14 19 50 −31 10 Relegation to the Thailand Semi-pro League
Close
Source: Thai League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goal scored; 5) Overall goal difference; 6) Overall goal scored; 7) Fair play points; 8) Play-off without extra time).
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. [a]
    PTU Pathum Thani ahead on head-to-head points record; PTU Pathum Thani 4 pts, Royal Thai Air Force 1 pt.
  2. [b]
    Chamchuri United ahead on head-to-head points record; Chamchuri United 6 pts, Kasem Bundit University 0 pts.

Northeastern region

Main article: 2025–26 Thai League 3 Northeastern Region
League table
More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Muang Loei United (C, Q) 22 14 7 1 49 21 +28 49 Qualification to the National Championship stage
2 Udon United (Q) 22 13 6 3 48 23 +25 45
3 Khon Kaen 22 11 8 3 32 13 +19 41
4 EUMT 22 7 12 3 28 16 +12 33[a]
5 Ubon Kruanapat 22 9 6 7 28 28 0 33[a]
6 Surin City 22 8 8 6 25 22 +3 32[b]
7 Roi Et PB United 22 8 8 6 28 21 +7 32[b]
8 Udon Banjan United 22 8 5 9 22 31 −9 29
9 Yasothon 22 6 6 10 28 33 −5 24
10 Korat City 22 4 4 14 24 51 −27 16
11 Khon Kaen Mordindang 22 3 3 16 18 40 −22 12
12 Surin Khong Chee Mool (R) 22 2 5 15 16 47 −31 11 Relegation to the Thailand Semi-pro League
Close
Source: Thai League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goal scored; 5) Overall goal difference; 6) Overall goal scored; 7) Fair play points; 8) Play-off without extra time).
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. [a]
    EUMT ahead on head-to-head points record; EUMT 4 pts, Ubon Kruanapat 1 pt.
  2. [b]
    Surin City ahead on head-to-head points record; Surin City 4 pts, Roi Et PB United 1 pt.

Eastern region

Main article: 2025–26 Thai League 3 Eastern Region
League table
More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Fleet (C, Q) 22 15 4 3 36 15 +21 49[a] Qualification to the National Championship stage
2 Burapha United (Q) 22 15 4 3 60 18 +42 49[a]
3 Navy 22 11 7 4 32 17 +15 40
4 Customs United 22 10 5 7 34 26 +8 35[b]
5 Bankhai United 22 10 5 7 27 25 +2 35[b]
6 Saimit Kabin United 22 9 6 7 24 26 −2 33
7 BFB Pattaya City 22 7 7 8 29 40 −11 28
8 Pluakdaeng United 22 6 7 9 26 33 −7 25
9 Chachoengsao Hi-Tek 22 3 10 9 13 20 −7 19
10 Marines 22 4 6 12 16 36 −20 18
11 Padriew City 22 4 5 13 14 30 −16 17
12 ACDC (R) 22 3 4 15 21 46 −25 13 Relegation to the Thailand Semi-pro League
Close
Source: Thai League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goal scored; 5) Overall goal difference; 6) Overall goal scored; 7) Fair play points; 8) Play-off without extra time).
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. [a]
    Fleet ahead on head-to-head points record; Fleet 6 pts, Burapha United 0 pts.
  2. [b]
    The head-to-head record is tied; Customs United 3 pts (GD 0, GF 2), Bankhai United 3 pts (GD 0, GF 2). Customs United is ahead in the overall goals difference.

Western region

Main article: 2025–26 Thai League 3 Western Region
League table
More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Samut Sakhon City (C, Q) 20 14 3 3 42 18 +24 45 Qualification to the National Championship stage
2 Thonburi United (Q) 20 11 6 3 35 18 +17 39
3 Suphanburi 20 9 5 6 22 19 +3 32
4 Thap Luang United 20 8 7 5 22 17 +5 31
5 Samut Songkhram City 20 8 5 7 23 28 −5 29
6 Assumption United 20 8 4 8 23 22 +1 28
7 VRN Muangnont 20 5 8 7 24 27 −3 23
8 Royal Thai Army 20 4 9 7 19 24 −5 21[a]
9 Hua Hin City 20 5 6 9 21 30 −9 21[a]
10 Rajpracha 20 5 3 12 22 36 −14 18
11 Nonthaburi United (R) 20 3 4 13 16 30 −14 13 Relegation to the Thailand Semi-pro League
Close
Source: Thai League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goal scored; 5) Overall goal difference; 6) Overall goal scored; 7) Fair play points; 8) Play-off without extra time).
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. [a]
    The head-to-head record is tied; Royal Thai Army 3 pts (GD 0, GF 3), Hua Hin City 3 pts (GD 0, GF 3). Royal Thai Army is ahead in the overall goals difference.

Southern region

Main article: 2025–26 Thai League 3 Southern Region
League table
More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Nara United (C, Q) 18 14 1 3 39 10 +29 43 Qualification to the National Championship stage
2 PT Satun (Q) 18 11 4 3 31 11 +20 37
3 Yala 18 10 6 2 28 14 +14 36
4 Samui United 18 10 3 5 37 16 +21 33
5 PSU Surat Thani City 18 8 7 3 29 24 +5 31
6 Muang Trang United 18 7 5 6 32 24 +8 26
7 Phuket Andaman 18 6 5 7 24 21 +3 23
8 Chumphon United 18 2 4 12 11 34 −23 10[a]
9 Ranong United 18 2 4 12 10 36 −26 10[a]
10 Krabi (R) 18 0 1 17 1 52 −51 1 Relegation to the Thailand Semi-pro League
Close
Source: Thai League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goal scored; 5) Overall goal difference; 6) Overall goal scored; 7) Fair play points; 8) Play-off without extra time).
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. [a]
    The head-to-head record is tied; Chumphon United 2 pts (GD 0, GF 1), Ranong United 2 pts (GD 0, GF 1). Chumphon United is ahead in the overall goals difference.

National Championship stage

Main article: 2025–26 Thai League 3 National Championship

The 2025–26 National Championship Stage features 12 clubs from the Regional Stage, including champions and runners-up from six regions. These clubs are divided into three groups: Group A (Northern and Central), Group B (Northeastern and Eastern), and Group C (Western and Southern). Each group plays in a round-robin, home-and-away format. The top club from each group advances to the semi-finals, along with the best second-placed club from all groups.

The knockout stage, held over two legs, uses aggregate scoring, with the away goals rule applied in case of a tie. If still level, extra time and penalties will decide the winner. Semi-final winners reach the final and secure promotion to Thai League 2, while the semi-final losers compete for third place, with the winner also earning promotion. This format ensures strong competition and offers promotion opportunities to the top clubs.

Group stage

Group A

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification UTD PBK CMI NBU
1 Uttaradit (Q) 5 3 2 0 9 6 +3 11 Advance to knockout stage — 2–2 2–1 2–1
2 Prime Bangkok 5 2 1 2 12 8 +4 7 — 0–1 3–0
3 Chiangmai 5 1 2 2 6 10 −4 5 2–2 1–5 — 1–1
4 North Bangkok University 5 1 1 3 6 9 −3 4 0–1 4–2 —
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 10 May 2026. Source: Thai League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goal scored; 5) Overall goal difference; 6) Overall goal scored; 7) Fair play points; 8) Play-off without extra time).
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Group B

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MLU BPU UDU FLT
1 Muang Loei United (Q) 5 4 0 1 9 5 +4 12 Advance to knockout stage — 1–0 2–1 1–0
2 Burapha United 5 2 1 2 7 8 −1 7 2–4 — 2–2
3 Udon United 5 2 0 3 7 6 +1 6 2–1 0–1 — 4–0
4 Fleet 5 1 1 3 5 9 −4 4 1–2 2–0 —
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 10 May 2026. Source: Thai League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goal scored; 5) Overall goal difference; 6) Overall goal scored; 7) Fair play points; 8) Play-off without extra time).
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Group C

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification STN NRA TBU SKN
1 PT Satun (Q) 5 4 0 1 11 4 +7 12 Advance to knockout stage — 5–3 2–0 1–0
2 Nara United (Q) 5 4 0 1 13 9 +4 12 1–0 — 3–0 3–2
3 Thonburi United 5 1 1 3 5 12 −7 4 0–3 — 3–3
4 Samut Sakhon City 5 0 1 4 8 12 −4 1 2–3 1–2 —
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 10 May 2026. Source: Thai League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goal scored; 5) Overall goal difference; 6) Overall goal scored; 7) Fair play points; 8) Play-off without extra time).
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Ranking of second-placed clubs

More information Pos, Grp ...
Pos Grp Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 C Nara United 5 4 0 1 13 9 +4 12 Advance to knockout stage
2 A Prime Bangkok 5 2 1 2 12 8 +4 7
3 B Burapha United 5 2 1 2 7 8 −1 7
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 10 May 2026. Source: Thai League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Away goals scored; 5) Wins; 6) Away wins.

Knockout stage

Semi-finals

Third place play-offs

Finals

See also

References

External links

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