Blue Wolves to Play First Matches in 2.5 Years

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The MFF has now confirmed Mongolian football's worst-kept secret; the men's national team will play its first matches in nearly two and a half years with friendlies away against Singapore and Hong Kong on 31 May and 5 June, respectively. The matches were announced by the opposing FAs weeks ago, but were only confirmed by the Mongolian Football Federation on 28 May.

The team will have a new manager with former Ulaanbaatar FC head coach Marco Ragini taking on multiple roles with the MFF. The Sanmmarinese tactician was most recently the head coach of the Tajikistan national under-20 and under-17 sides. Ragini originally came to Mongolia in 2018 and quickly turned the struggling FCUB from a relegation candidate to a silver medal winner.

Ragini takes over for Bayasgalangiin Garidmagnai. Ultimately, Mongolia's first-ever pro-licensed manager was on the bench for only two matches as Mongolia failed to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup with a First Round series loss to Timore-Leste in September 2024 , the last time the Blue Wolves took the pitch.

While the majority of Mongolia's roster consists of domestic players, several legionnaires are in the squad. Most notably, Ganbold Ganbayar, who has played with Slovakian club KFC Komárno since 2021, is recalled. He is joined in the attack by Tuguldur Gantogtokh who plays for Czech first division club České Budějovice. So far, Gantogtokh and Ganbayar have appeared in only one match together, a 1-6 loss to Georgia in 2024. The duo will look to build attacking chemistry in these more evenly-matched encounters. Also present in the squad are defensive rocks Mönkh-Orgil Orkhon and Filip Chinzorig who play for Taichung Futuro of Taiwan and Malaysian club Negeri Sembilan, respectively.

Ragini has also included 17-year-old Khabul Baatar for his first senior call-up. Baatar is spending summer 2026 with Hércules CF of Spain's Primera Federacion.

As for Mongolia's opponents, Singapore has played only one match in 2026, a 1-0 victory over Bangladesh in March. However, the nation-state played eight matches in 2025, winning five and drawing two, including victories over India, Hong Kong, and the Maldives. Hong Kong has also been very active since the beginning of 2025, playing twelve matches and accumulating a 3-3-6 record.

These matches will provide Ragini with an opportunity to evaluate and rebuild the side in what the federation hopes is a full reset and the beginning of a long and successful tenure with the federation.