They may not have qualified for the world cup but football fever has also hit Thailand.
Hundreds of school children and elephants paraded in Bangkok this week ahead of World Cup matches in a bid to promote tourism.
The area of Khao San Road, popular with foreign backpackers, was decorated with national flags of teams participating in World Cup, the balls were hung outside the clubs and bars to build up the atmosphere for soccer fans.
Two male elephants Peter, six, and five-year-old Panlarn were painted with the flags of World Cup teams including Italy, Mexico, France, Brazil and England.
Hundred of school children held the flags paraded on the street while elephants danced along with the music to celebrate Fifa World Cup in South Africa although Thailand does not take part in the game.
The celebration also aimed to promote tourism in Thailand as the recent unrest in Bangkok has hardly hurt tourism during the nine weeks protests in central Bangkok which killed 85 people and wounded nearly 2,000.
