ASEAN Futsal 2026: Indonesia in same group with Australia and Malaysia

Indonesia National Futsal Team is grouped with Australia in the ASEAN Futsal Championship 2026 in Thailand, April 5-11, 2026. Besides Australia, Indonesia will also compete against Malaysia, Cambodia, and Brunei Darussalam in Group B.

This confirmation was announced via the official Instagram of the Indonesia National Futsal Team on Monday, also marking the start of Indonesia's journey to defend the championship title.

With this composition, the competition is predicted to be tight, especially facing two traditional rivals in the Southeast Asia and Oceania regions.

Meanwhile in Group A, host Thailand, who have won the tournament 16 times, will face Vietnam, Myanmar, and Timor Leste. 

Thailand's long-standing dominance keeps the group highly pressured for the challengers.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. The semifinal winners will play in the final match, while the losing teams compete for third place.

The 19th edition of the tournament will be played centrally at Nonthaburi Hall, Thailand. The centralized format is expected to foster a competitive atmosphere from the first group stage match.

Indonesia arrives as the defending champion after defeating Vietnam 2-0 in the final in Thailand two years ago. Prior to that, the Garuda Squad first overcame host Thailand with a convincing 5-1 score in the semifinal.

That title became Indonesia's second trophy throughout its history of participation in this tournament. Previously, Indonesia won its maiden title in 2010 in Vietnam with a resounding 5-0 victory over Malaysia in the final match.

In preparation for this tournament, Coach Hector Souto has called 25 names to a long list for a training camp after Eid al-Fitr. This step is part of a long-term project to build squad depth.

Interestingly, from those 25 names, Souto only retained two players from the squad that made history as finalists of the 2026 AFC Futsal Cup. Those two players are Dewa Rizki and Yogi Saputra.

When explaining his reason for choosing a different squad from the 2026 AFC Futsal Cup, Souto stated this aims to increase competition in the senior national team. Players who were not part of the squad for the 2026 AFC Futsal Cup are given the opportunity to prove themselves in the 2026 ASEAN Futsal Championship.

Souto's goal is to have competitive rivalry in the senior national team, to obtain the best squad for achieving the big target of qualifying for the 2028 FIFA Futsal World Cup.