The women's national team cannot be inferior to Thailand in the 2025 SEA Games, even if they are in the same group as Thailand.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A heavy challenge awaits the Indonesian women's national football team after being confirmed to be in the same group as the host country in the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. However, "Garuda Pertiwi" refuses to feel inferior. The thorough preparations since September should serve as valuable capital.

The Indonesian women's national team officially learned about the opponents they will face at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. This was confirmed after the draw for the football event was held at the Deluxe Resort & Spa Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday (19/10/2025).

We in the team always instill in all players and officials that regardless of the opponent, we must fight hard on the field and consider every match as a final, thus we are obligated to achieve the best results.

The women's national team is placed in Group A alongside the host country Thailand, Cambodia, and Singapore. In the women's sector, the tournament will feature eight countries divided into two groups. Group B consists of the eight-time gold medalists in women's football, Vietnam, along with Myanmar, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

Based on the tentative schedule announced on the official SEA Games 2025 website, the women's football matches will commence with the group stage from December 4 to 11 in Chonburi. Following that, the semifinals will be held on December 14 and the final on December 17.

"We in the team always instill in all players and officials, regardless of the opponent, that we must fight hard on the field and treat every match as a final, so we are obligated to achieve the best results. We will anticipate every opponent we face," said the assistant manager of the women's national team, Iwan Setiawan, on Tuesday (21/10/2025).

A group with Thailand will pose a significant challenge for "Garuda Pertiwi." In addition to being the host nation that will receive support from its own public, Thailand is also a team that has reached a world-class level.

Thailand has participated in the Women's World Cup twice, namely in the 2015 and 2019 editions. Thailand may be in a wounded state after failing to qualify for the 2026 Asian Cup for the first time since 1997. As a result, they are also confirmed not to be able to compete in the 2027 Women's World Cup.

At the 2025 ASEAN Women's Championship held last August, Thailand returned empty-handed after finishing in fourth place. However, in that event, Thailand defeated Indonesia with a resounding score of 7-0 in the group stage.

Moreover, in the SEA Games, Thailand is the second most successful team after Vietnam. The "White Elephant" team successfully secured five gold medals from this biennial multi-sport event.

Thailand has also routinely sent teams to the SEA Games since women's football was first contested in the 1985 edition in Bangkok. Meanwhile, Indonesia has been absent from the last two editions.

At the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games and the 2021 Vietnam SEA Games, "Garuda Pertiwi" withdrew from the tournament. The women's national team last appeared at the 2019 Philippines SEA Games.

At that time, Indonesia's journey came to a halt in the group stage. Indonesia, which was placed in Group B alongside Thailand and Vietnam, could only finish in third place.

Nevertheless, Indonesia should not feel inferior with the draw that will pit them against Thailand. Moreover, "Garuda Pertiwi" has already begun a series of preparations since September 11, 2025, in the Special Region of Yogyakarta.

From October 2 to 17, 2025, a total of 27 players will undergo a training camp at the Urawa Reds Lands area in Tokyo, Japan. According to the coaching staff, this agenda is designed to establish a solid team framework and to test the players' abilities against high-level opponents.

Iwan stated that the training camp in Japan is going well. In addition to training, the players are also participating in friendly matches, which serve as valuable preparation for the SEA Games.

"We continue to refine and evaluate after the training camp in Japan, with the hope that all players will be ready for the upcoming SEA Games," said Iwan.

After returning from Japan, the women's national team will continue their training camp starting Wednesday (22/10/2025) in Yogyakarta. "Garuda Pertiwi" is scheduled to conclude their preparations with a friendly match during FIFA Match Day (22 November - 1 December). They will face Nepal and Taiwan.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports will hold a meeting with 48 sports branches to conduct a joint review with a team of experts on Wednesday (22/10/2025). The Deputy for Sports Achievement Improvement at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Surono, stated that the review is being conducted to determine the athletes who will be sent to the SEA Games in Thailand 2025.

Surono hopes that all sports branches will be open and honest in reporting the results of the national training and the opportunities for athletes to win medals. Thus, the best athletes can be sent to Thailand.

In addition to conducting a review, the Ministry of Youth and Sports also opens options for sports branches that wish to independently send their athletes to the 2025 SEA Games. "In accordance with the direction of the Minister of Youth and Sports, the Ministry opens independent options with the condition that the athletes sent have the potential to win medals," said Surono.