Indonesia’s national football team has an opportunity to continue its upward FIFA ranking trend ahead of the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026.
Its current ranking and tournament participation plans have been confirmed, but entering the world 100 rankings or winning the title are not yet achieved results.
Rather than simply announcing its participation, this tournament is a stage for examining what its current position of 118th leads to in Group A matches and under the conditions for reaching the final.
3-Line Summary
1. Indonesia’s national team is ranked 118th by FIFA
2. Group A matches are scheduled to be held in Jakarta
3. The 100 rankings and the title remain goals
From 149th to 118th: A 31-Place Rise Across Three Coaches
Indonesia’s national football team is currently introduced as 118th in the FIFA world rankings. According to reports from ANTARA News and Suara.com, this is an increase of 31 places compared with 149th when Erick Thohir took office as president of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) in April 2023. The current ranking shows the national team’s position before the tournament, but does not mean it has already entered the world 100 rankings.
Football commentator Akmal Marhali assessed the rise from 149th to 118th as a change reflecting match results and consistency in performance. At the same time, he said that reaching the next goal—the world 100 rankings—would be a significant challenge. That is why the two numbers most clearly distinguished in this report are the 31-place increase and the 18-place gap that remains. It is difficult to combine the fact that the ranking has risen with the judgment that the goal has been achieved in a single sentence.
The report says this change occurred across the tenures of three coaches. Shin Tae-yong is introduced as having led the national team for approximately two years, from April 2023 to January 2025, raising its ranking from 149th to 127th. After him, coach Patrick Kluivert led a change from 127th to 122nd during his nine-month tenure from January to October 2025.
The current national team coach, Canadian-born John Herdman, took charge in January 2026, and reports say the ranking rose from 122nd to 118th. The figures across the three periods explain the movement so far, but do not guarantee that an increase of the same magnitude will continue in future tournaments. Past ranking changes and Indonesia’s actual FIFA ASEAN Cup results must be examined separately.
Marhali explained that FIFA rankings operate by adding or subtracting points according to the results of international matches. He also added the view that international matches against higher-ranked opponents can be especially meaningful. The statement that the FIFA ASEAN Cup could be an opportunity to maintain the upward ranking trend is an assessment based on this system, and the new ranking can only be confirmed after the match results are recorded.
The Arrangement of Group A Matches in Jakarta and Group B Matches in Bandung
The FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is scheduled to be held in Jakarta and Bandung from late September to early October. Indonesia has been placed in Premier Division Group A, where it will face Malaysia, Singapore, and Bangladesh. ANTARA News reported that Bangladesh entered Group A in India’s place after India chose to withdraw from the tournament.
According to a VIVA.co.id report, all Group A matches are scheduled to be held at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium. For Indonesia, this means playing its group-stage matches in its home city. However, the fact that Jakarta and Bandung are tournament host cities alone does not determine that Indonesia will finish first in its group or reach the final.
Group B consists of Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Pakistan. All matches in this group are scheduled to be held at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung Regency, West Java. The tournament structure was reported to mean that if Indonesia finishes 1st in Group A, it will face 1st in Group B in the final. Therefore, the first confirmed condition on Indonesia’s path to the title is winning Group A, while its final opponent will depend on the Group B result.
It was also reported that the tournament will take place during the FIFA Matchday period. VIVA.co.id reported that this schedule could give Coach Herdman an opportunity to call up his best players. However, the explanation that the schedule broadens call-up possibilities should be distinguished from the actual announcement of the squad.
Vietnamese outlet VnExpress assessed that the defensive options could become stronger if Jay Idzes, Kevin Diks, and Calvin Verdonk are able to join Coach Herdman’s national team. The three players were not presented as a confirmed tournament roster, but were mentioned as players who could strengthen the national team. Their availability or defensive performance in the tournament cannot be confirmed from this report alone.
After Indonesia was eliminated in the group stage of the earlier AFF Cup 2026, Coach Herdman stated his goal of winning the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 trophy. This is the coach’s goal of winning the title at the next opportunity. What has currently been confirmed is the 118th ranking, the Group A matches scheduled in Jakarta, and the condition that Indonesia must finish first in its group to reach the final.
References
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