Lanexang United FC (Laos)
It was founded around 2005 (initially as Lao Lanexang FC or similar) and later rebranded, with a notable professional takeover/relaunch in 2014 under chairman Phanthachith Inthilath. The club played home matches at Lanexang Stadium (capacity about 4,000) and was nicknamed after the “Land of a Million Elephants” (or references to elephants/ivories), wearing blue.
Its peak came in 2016 under Brazilian coach Leonardo Vitorino. The team dominated the Lao Premier League, finishing with 24 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss (73 points from a possible 78), a +78 goal difference (92 scored, 14 conceded), and a long winning streak of 19 consecutive league victories. This secured their sole league title and qualification for the 2017 AFC Cup. They also reached the final of the 2016 Mekong Club Championship (runners-up after beating Buriram United 1–0 in the first leg of the final before losing the return). FIFA president Gianni Infantino even sent a congratulatory letter praising their performance.
In early 2017, amid a broader match-fixing scandal in Lao (and Cambodian) football that led to AFC life bans for many players (mostly from other clubs like Lao Toyota), Lanexang United withdrew from both the 2017 Lao Premier League and the AFC Cup. The club stated that eight other teams had already pulled out, leaving a tiny, commercially unviable league; sponsors withdrew support; and they wanted to distance themselves from ongoing investigations (they denied any involvement by their own players). This effectively ended their competitive activity. German Wikipedia and other sources describe the club as dissolved/inactive after 2016.
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