In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 9 September 2002
- Birthplace
- Koh Kong Province, Cambodia
- Country
- Cambodia
- Nationality
- Cambodian
- Known for
- Scoring for Cambodia in World Cup qualifying at age sixteen
- Position
- Forward and winger
- Senior debut
- 6 June 2019
- Debut goal
- Against Pakistan in World Cup qualifying
- Club, October 2026
- Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng
Why this life matters
Chanthea’s youth-tournament record, early senior goal and later overseas loan show the changing pathway available to academy-trained Cambodian players.
Timeline
Key moments
Scored a youth-tournament hat-trick
Scored three times against the Philippines in a 4–0 Cambodian win at the AFF under-15 championship.
Scored on his senior debut
Came off the bench at sixteen and opened the scoring against Pakistan in World Cup qualifying.
Joined Boeung Ket
Moved from the federation academy into top-flight club football.
Scored at the SEA Games
Put Cambodia ahead against Laos in a 4–1 group-stage win at the delayed 2021 SEA Games, played in May 2022.
Went on loan to Qatar
Spent part of the 2023–24 season on loan at Al Shahaniya before returning to Boeung Ket.
Joined Svay Rieng
Continued his domestic career with Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng.
From Bati Academy to Cambodia’s youth teams
Sieng Chanthea developed at Bati National Football Academy before moving into Cambodian club football. The ASEAN Football Federation’s 2017 under-18 registration names him as a forward born on 9 September 2002. Its under-15 tournament report records a hat-trick against the Philippines on 12 July 2017, when he was still fourteen. That youth result shows his early scoring promise without treating age-group goals as senior international goals.
He remained involved in the youth setup even after reaching the senior side. In August 2019, an AFF under-18 report identified him as Cambodia’s captain and scorer in a 5–1 defeat by Australia. The result and his role are both part of the record: a goal in a heavy loss is not evidence that the team won or advanced.
A World Cup qualifying goal at sixteen
On 6 June 2019, Chanthea came on as a substitute against Pakistan in Phnom Penh and scored Cambodia’s opening goal in a 2–0 first-leg win. FIFA describes the finish as following a poor clearance; the regional championship organiser later identifies that match as his senior national-team debut. He was sixteen years and nearly nine months old. Contemporary match reports variously place the late goal in the 81st or 82nd minute, so its importance does not depend on forcing one minute into the timeline.
The goal gave Cambodia a lead in a two-leg World Cup and Asian Cup preliminary qualifier, not a place at the World Cup itself. It was followed by other regional appearances: an AFF report records his fourth-minute goal against Laos in the SEA Games match played on 9 May 2022. The tournament was called the 2021 SEA Games but was staged in 2022. An ASEAN Championship preview also records goals against Laos and Thailand in the preceding two championship editions, illustrating a sustained senior role rather than a career defined by one debut.
Boeung Ket, Qatar and Svay Rieng
Chanthea signed his first professional Boeung Ket contract for the 2020 season after the academy pathway. Local reporting places a subsequent loan with Al Shahaniya in Qatar during 2023–24. Contemporary and later reports disagree about how to describe the Qatari division, so this profile does not make a precise league-tier claim. The overseas spell should be read as a dated part of his club career, not proof of a particular number of appearances or goals.
After returning to Boeung Ket, he transferred to Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng in July 2025. The Cambodian Premier League’s player profile lists him as a forward for Svay Rieng in the 2025–26 season. Moving between a federation academy, a Cambodian league club, a short foreign loan and another domestic club offers a concrete picture of the professional options open to his generation. It does not imply that every academy graduate has received the same opportunity.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Sieng Chanthea
- Who is Sieng Chanthea?
- Sieng Chanthea is a professional footballer and Cambodia international. Chanthea’s youth-tournament record, early senior goal and later overseas loan show the changing pathway available to academy-trained Cambodian players.
- What is Sieng Chanthea best known for?
- Sieng Chanthea is best known for scoring for Cambodia in World Cup qualifying at age sixteen.
- When and where was Sieng Chanthea born?
- Sieng Chanthea was born on 9 September 2002 in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Chan Vathanaka
Compare the earlier Cambodian forward whose move to Japan also tested an overseas pathway.
- Jessa Khan
See a different Cambodian athlete whose regional stage became a route to international attention.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Cambodian Premier LeagueSieng Chanthea player profile
- 2. FIFACambodia strike late against Pakistan
FIFA dates the Pakistan match to 6 June 2019 and places the goal in the 82nd minute; the AFF report labels it the 81st. The page records the difference rather than selecting one exact minute.
- 3. ASEAN Football FederationCambodia U-18 final player registration, 2017
- 4. ASEAN Football FederationAFF under-15 result against the Philippines, 2017
- 5. ASEAN Football FederationCambodia’s under-18 result against Australia, 2019
- 6. ASEAN Football FederationCambodia’s first-leg qualifier against Pakistan, 2019
- 7. ASEAN Football FederationCambodia’s SEA Games win against Laos, 2022
- 8. ASEAN United FCASEAN Championship young stars: Group A, 2024
- 9. Phnom Penh PostChanthea’s Boeung Ket departure and Svay Rieng move
The 2025 retrospective describes Al Shahaniya as a top-flight side; a 2023 contemporary account calls Chanthea’s destination a Qatari second-division club. The loan is reported without asserting a league tier.
