Indonesia is One Step Closer to Making a Historic Mark in the Asian Futsal Cup

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The 2026 Futsal Asian Cup has entered the decisive knockout stage on Tuesday (3/2/2026). For Indonesia, participation in the quarter-finals this time is a second opportunity after 2022. Not wanting to merely participate, the "Garuda" squad carries a significant ambition to join the elite ranks of Asia by reaching the semifinals.

Unlike the 2022 edition, Indonesia faced Japan at that time, an Asian giant that only trails Iran in the quantity of continental titles. Although eliminated with a narrow defeat of 2-3, optimism for the resurgence of the Indonesian national futsal team on the Asian stage has emerged.

Despite not participating in the 2024 Asian Cup, Indonesia has shown significant improvement over the past two years. Thailand's dominance in Southeast Asia has been ended. The AFF Cup title in 2024 and the gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games serve as proof of Indonesia's progress.

Unlike four years ago, Indonesia will face a relatively balanced opponent in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Futsal Asian Cup. Vietnam, a regional rival, will pose a challenge for the Garuda squad in their quest to advance to the semifinals.

In the Asian Futsal Cup, Vietnam has a better experience compared to Indonesia. The "Golden Star" team, as Vietnam is nicknamed, has never failed to reach the quarter-finals in their five previous participations since hosting the 2014 edition. In fact, they managed to reach the semifinals in 2016.

Vietnam is ranked 20th in the latest FIFA futsal rankings, putting them ahead of Indonesia, which is in 24th place.

Besides Indonesia, Afghanistan is another team that has the opportunity to make its debut in the semifinals of the Asian Futsal Cup.

Vietnam's positive record serves as an ambition for Indonesia to achieve victory in the quarter-finals. Furthermore, Indonesia aims to demonstrate that Vietnam's 1-0 advantage in the 2025 SEA Games was merely a coincidence and does not reflect a disparity in the quality of the two teams.

"Yes, they have more experience in the Asian Cup compared to us. The match will be intense, but we will strive to take advantage of the support from our fans. After advancing to the quarter-finals, our next ambition is to reach the semi-finals for the first time," said Hector Souto, coach of the Indonesian national futsal team, on Monday (2/2/2026).

Souto stated that Indonesia's mentality is currently good. The experience gained from several tournaments and exhibition matches over the past year, such as facing Argentina, the Netherlands, Latvia, and winning a tournament in China last year, serves as a process for the team to perform well in the Asian Cup.

"We want to create a history that can be celebrated by the Indonesian people. Our goal is to strive to win (against Vietnam)," he stated subsequently.

In addition to Indonesia, Afghanistan is another team that has the opportunity to make its debut in the semifinals of the Futsal Asian Cup. However, Afghanistan, which qualified as the second place in Group D, will face Japan, the holder of four Futsal Asian Cup titles.

In the history of the Futsal Asian Cup, Afghanistan has only reached the main stage in the 2024 edition in Thailand. They have shown consistent performance by always managing to advance to the quarter-finals. In the 2026 edition in Indonesia, Afghanistan was able to defeat Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, who have been more regularly participating on the continental stage.

This is the situation anticipated by Japan. The "Samurai Blue" squad does not wish to underestimate Afghanistan's capabilities. Japan advanced to the quarter-finals thanks to a perfect performance in Group C, having defeated Australia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

"All opponents have equal capabilities in the knockout stage. We must prepare and perform at our best to face our opponent in the quarter-finals," said Kensuke Takahashi, coach of the Japanese national futsal team in the mixed zone after the match against Uzbekistan at the Indonesia Arena Stadium, Jakarta, Sunday (1/2/2026).

If Indonesia defeats Vietnam and Japan eliminates Afghanistan, then both teams will meet in the semifinals on Thursday (5/2/2026). Takahashi hopes that this match can materialize. Before coaching Japan, Takahashi managed the Indonesian team from 2018 to 2021.

"Hopefully both teams can win (in the quarterfinals)," said Takahashi briefly.

Thailand and Iran have the opportunity to repeat the final match from the 2024 edition in this year's semifinals. This could happen if Thailand manages to defeat Iraq, while Iran overcomes Uzbekistan.

Although not favored, Iraq is determined to create an upset. Iraq has only reached the semifinals once in 13 participations in the previous Futsal Asian Cup. This achievement occurred in the 2018 edition held in Taiwan.