After the Asian Futsal Cup Returns to Jakarta…

(Perhaps) there is no sport that has grown as rapidly in Indonesia since the new millennium as futsal. Although it has not yet generated the same level of fanaticism as football, futsal has significantly outpaced its "older sibling" in terms of development and achievements on the international stage.

The city of Jakarta had to wait 24 years to once again welcome the best futsal stars in Asia competing for supremacy in the continental tournament, the Futsal Asian Cup. During this period, there has also been significant development in futsal in the country.

Being appointed as the host of the 2002 Asian Cup marked the starting point for futsal to emerge in Indonesia. Participating in the fourth edition of the Asian Futsal Cup, Indonesia did not yet have players or coaches specifically for the sport played with five players on each side.

A few days before appearing in the Futsal Asian Cup in August 2002, Indonesia had only sent two coaches to participate in a futsal coaching course. The first two Indonesian futsal coaches licensed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are Sartono Anwar and Suhatman Imam.

At the time, both were still coaches of Indonesian League teams. Sartono was in charge of PSIS Semarang, while Suhatman was the coach of Semen Padang.

Sartono is also noted as the first coach of the Indonesian national futsal team in official events. The "Garuda" squad marked its inaugural participation in the Futsal Asian Cup with a victory over China, a draw against Kyrgyzstan, and losses to Japan and Kuwait.

In addition to the tactician, Indonesia is also relying on professional football players to compete in the 2002 Futsal Asian Cup. Among them are Yemen Tumena, Rahmad Afandi, Komang Adnyana, and Stanley Mamuaya.

The return of the Futsal Asian Cup to Indonesia in 2026, or the 18th edition, presents the fact that futsal has developed significantly. Football is still awaiting a prestigious title in the last two decades, while the national futsal team has proven itself as one of the giants in Southeast Asia.

At the ASEAN Championship and SEA Games, only Indonesia has been able to end Thailand's dominance, which regularly competes in the Futsal World Cup. Indonesia is the team that managed to win the ASEAN Championship in the 2010 and 2024 editions, and then secured the gold medal at the SEA Games. Aside from Indonesia's achievements, Thailand is recorded as the champion.

The end of Thailand's supremacy was also demonstrated by Indonesian clubs at the AFF Club Futsal Championship. In nine editions of the tournament featuring the best clubs in Southeast Asia, Thai clubs won the championship in six editions. Meanwhile, the other three editions were won by Indonesian teams, including the last two editions in 2022 and 2023.

This positive achievement is inseparable from the development of the Indonesian Professional Futsal League. The futsal competition in Indonesia has been initiated since the 2006–2007 season. Starting with only six teams based in Jakarta, Bandung, and Bogor (West Java), as well as Yogyakarta, the professional futsal league now includes 12 teams spread across the major islands of Indonesia from Aceh to Papua.

The contestants of the Indonesian Professional Futsal League 2024–2025 consist of two teams from Sumatra, two teams from Kalimantan, one team each representing the islands of Sulawesi and Papua, and six other teams registered based in Java, from Jakarta to Malang, East Java.

The origins of the cities of the Indonesian Professional Futsal League clubs represent the best development hubs for futsal in the country. In Sumatra, there are Aceh and Padang, West Sumatra. Similarly, Pangsuma from Pontianak (West Kalimantan) and Falange Banua from Banjarmasin (South Kalimantan) represent the futsal craze in those two cities.

Sulawesi has Moncongbulo originating from Gowa, South Sulawesi, while Black Steel Papua serves as both a representation and a showcase for futsal talent from "Bumi Cenderawasih."

Meanwhile, the dominance of Bintang Timur FC, which has been the champion for the last four seasons, proves that Surabaya, East Java, has become a "factory" for national futsal athletes. It is no surprise that Bintang Timur has sent seven players to the Garuda squad for the 2026 Futsal Asian Cup.

The increasingly balanced depth of the players is also maximized by the presence of the cool-headed coach from Spain, Hector Souto. Two regional titles, the 2024 ASEAN Futsal Championship and the gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games, are the contributions of the sixth foreign coach of the Indonesian national futsal team.

Given the current situation, participation in the 2026 Futsal Asian Cup is no longer merely a testament to the existence of futsal in Indonesia. The Garuda squad is pursuing new history to advance further than the quarter-finals of the previous 2022 edition.

In addition to the quality of the squad and skilled coaches, Indonesia also enjoys significant support from its fans. A total of 6,360 supporters attended Indonesia's opening match in the 2026 Futsal Asian Cup on Tuesday (27/1/2026), which ended with a 5-0 victory over South Korea. This advantage also demonstrates the improvement of the Indonesian team’s strength at the Asian level.

The last time they met South Korea in the 2003 Asian Futsal Cup, Indonesia suffered a crushing defeat. The Garudas went down 4-6 in Karaj, Iran.

"I hope the stadium will be filled to capacity for the next match. We want significant support to come because the players need encouragement from the supporters to face the upcoming tight matches," said Souto after the match against South Korea.

It is reasonable for Souto to hope that the occupancy rate of the Indonesia Arena will be more vibrant during the next two Group A matches against Kyrgyzstan (Thursday, January 29) and Iraq (Saturday, January 31), as the number of spectators in the match against South Korea was only 39 percent of the total capacity of 16,500 seats.

However, Souto need not worry as the final match of Group A between Indonesia and Iraq has already sold out on the AFC's online ticket sales page.

Although not yet fully occupied, the Indonesia Arena has created an electric atmosphere for the Indonesian national team. Cheers and applause adorned the performance of the Garuda squad facing South Korea.

Futsal has also become a family sport. Not only teenagers and young people watch, but families also attend in person in the stands.

"The atmosphere is festive. Indonesia's performance is also enjoyable to watch and, most importantly, we won," said Vani (36), who was watching with her husband and one of her sons.

Praise was also expressed by the captain of the South Korean futsal national team, Hwang Un. "The spectators put pressure on us. This is a valuable experience for us to compete under the support of a very lively home team," said Hwang.

Hopefully, Indonesia Arena can witness the presence of a new history for Indonesian futsal.