RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Not many Asian countries have had the opportunity to compete in the FIFA World Cup. Did you know that Indonesia was the first Asian nation to appear in football’s biggest tournament?

Indonesia competed in the 1938 FIFA World Cup under the name the Dutch East Indies, as the Indonesian archipelago was still under Dutch colonial rule at the time. It happened despite its status as a colony.

The 1938 World Cup was held in France from June 4 to June 19, 1938. It was the tournament’s third edition, following the inaugural competition in Uruguay in 1930 and Italy in 1934.

Japan had also qualified for the 1938 World Cup. However, during the qualification process, Japan withdrew, allowing the Dutch East Indies to participate.

FIFA had planned a qualifying match between the Dutch East Indies and the United States, with the pairing decided by a draw. However, the United States also withdrew, allowing the Dutch East Indies to qualify automatically without playing a qualifying match.

Before the team departed, PSSI, Indonesia’s football governing body, appeared reluctant to support the squad because it was in conflict with the Dutch East Indies Football Union (Nederlandsch-Indische Voetbal Unie, NIVU).

In the end, a squad of players selected by NIVU—consisting of ethnic Chinese, Indo-European (Dutch-Indonesian), and indigenous Indonesian players—was sent to the 1938 World Cup. History records Indonesia as the first Asian country to appear in the World Cup.

The Dutch East Indies faced Hungary in their opening match and lost 6–0. Because the tournament used a knockout format, the Dutch East Indies were eliminated immediately, making it the only World Cup match the team ever played.