Following a historic gold medal win at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, the Indonesian national futsal team now turns its focus to preparing for the 2026 AFC Futsal Cup, hosted on home soil for the second time in the nation’s history [[3]]. Captain Mochammad Iqbal Iskandar emphasized the need for increased competitive opportunities as the team transitions to facing higher-ranked Asian opponents. Indonesia was drawn into Group A, where they will compete against Korea South, Kyrgyzstan, and Iraq in the tournament scheduled for January 27-February 7.
Tangerang –
Indonesia national futsal team captain Mochammad Iqbal Iskandar is hoping his squad will have more opportunities for competitive matches as they prepare for the 2026 AFC Futsal Cup.
Iqbal made the comments following a successful run at the recent Southeast Asian Games, with the continental championship looming on the horizon, scheduled for January 27-February 7.
“For the next event, potentially the AFC tournament, we’re anticipating another round of call-ups and initial selections early in 2026,” Iqbal said upon the team’s return to Indonesia on Saturday, December 20, 2025.
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“Obviously, the level of competition will be different moving from ASEAN to Asia, but our performance at the SEA Games can certainly serve as a benchmark for the AFC Cup,” he added.
Indonesia has been drawn into Group A for the AFC Futsal Cup, where they will face Korea South, Kyrgyzstan, and Iraq.
“There’s a lot to evaluate, but that’s the coach’s domain. Still, there are many areas where we can improve. Honestly, we need more matches against strong opponents,” Iqbal explained.
He pointed to a series of high-profile friendlies earlier this year, where the Indonesian team faced Argentina, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, as well as Latvia, the Netherlands, Tanzania, and Australia.
Those competitive matches proved crucial in preparing the team, ultimately contributing to their gold medal victory at the 2025 SEA Games. The result marked a significant achievement for Indonesian futsal.
“We need more opportunities like those to continue improving as a national team,” Iqbal stated.
“Compared to other Asian teams, we’re generally smaller in stature, but we’re focusing on maximizing our strengths, like our speed,” he concluded.
(mcy/mrp)
