Indonesia Drawn in Group B to Defend ASEAN Futsal Title

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Defending champions Indonesia will face a competitive path to retain their crown after being drawn into Group B of the 19th ASEAN Futsal Championship, which will once again be hosted in Thailand. The tournament, taking place from April 5-11, 2026, at Nonthaburi Hall, marks the fifth consecutive edition held in the country.

According to the Indonesian national futsal team’s official Instagram account on Monday, March 2, Indonesia will compete in Group B alongside Australia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Brunei Darussalam, Antara reported.

In Group A, record 16-time champions Thailand will attempt to lift the trophy on home soil against Vietnam, Myanmar, and Timor Leste.

Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. The semifinal winners will move on to the final, while the losing teams will contest the third-place playoff.

Indonesia arrives as the defending champion, having defeated Vietnam 2-0 in the previous final held in Thailand two years ago. Before overcoming Vietnam, Indonesia had delivered a dominant 5-1 victory over hosts Thailand in the semifinals.

That triumph marked Indonesia’s second ASEAN futsal title, adding to their first championship in 2010 in Vietnam, when the Garuda squad crushed Malaysia 5-0 in the final.

Head coach Hector Souto has named a preliminary list of 25 players for a training camp scheduled to begin after Eid al-Fitr as part of preparations for the regional tournament.

Notably, Souto has retained only two players, Dewa Rizki and Yogi Saputra, from the Garuda squad that recently made history by reaching the final of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026.

Explaining his decision to field a largely different squad, Souto said the move is aimed at increasing internal competition within the senior national team. Players who were not part of the Asian Cup campaign will now have the opportunity to prove themselves at the ASEAN level.

His broader objective is clear: to build stronger competition within the squad in pursuit of a long-term ambition, qualifying for the 2028 Futsal World Cup.

With a refreshed squad and the pressure of defending their title, Indonesia’s campaign in Thailand will serve as both a regional test and a steppingstone toward global ambitions. ***