Missing the World Cup, Indonesian football turns to… ASEAN Cup

After the dream of participating in the 2026 World Cup vanished, Indonesian football could only return to smaller goals.

The Indonesian team aims to win the ASEAN Cup for the first time thanks to its naturalized players - Photo: PSSI

In the early morning of October 12, Indonesia lost 0-1 to Iraq and officially lost their dream of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. This was a disappointing result, as they had invested a lot of money in naturalizing players, hiring coaches and paying for many expensive overseas training trips.

The defeats against Saudi Arabia and Iraq also showed that at the moment, Indonesia’s ability is not enough to go to the World Cup. They have many players playing in Europe, but they do not have enough class and experience to make history.

Therefore, the Indonesian press immediately discussed the return to the goal of… ASEAN Cup. For a long time, the football of the archipelago country has always longed to win the number 1 tournament in Southeast Asia. Although reaching the finals 5 times, Indonesia has never once touched this title.

The opportunity for them is even greater when the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) is considering organizing the ASEAN Cup 2026 in the summer. That is the time when the 2026 World Cup will also take place in parallel, so Indonesian naturalized players will not have to do club duty. Therefore, the team of this country will have enough players to compete in the ASEAN Cup.

Tribunnews , one of Indonesia's famous football newspapers, commented: "Because the ASEAN Cup takes place when FIFA is concentrating on the national team, stars like Jay Idzes, Kevin Diks, Calvin Verdonk, Maarten Paes,... will have the opportunity to participate in the ASEAN Cup 2026.

With a team that has reached the 4th qualifying round of the World Cup, it is not difficult for Indonesia to win the championship."

Apart from the ASEAN Cup, Indonesia still has another arena, the 2027 Asian Cup. In 2023, they made history by passing the group stage for the first time. The question now is whether they will still be led by coach Patrick Kluivert or not.

The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) is under great pressure as fans call for the Dutch strategist to be fired for failing to make an impression on his playing style.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/truot-world-cup-bong-da-indonesia-chuyen-huong-sang-asean-cup-20251012141614607.htm