Marselino Ferdinan Confirmed to Be Absent Until the End of the 2026 AFF Cup.

Indonesia's national football team has received unwelcome news amid the Group A fixtures of the 2026 AFF Cup. Head coach John Herdman has confirmed that key midfielder Marselino Ferdinan will be ruled out for the remainder of the tournament, after medical examinations concluded his injury will keep him sidelined until the competition concludes.

Losing Marselino is a major blow for the Garuda squad, who are currently fighting to secure a spot in the semi-final round. The 21-year-old midfielder was previously earmarked as one of Indonesia's primary creative outlets, though the injury he sustained ahead of the tournament's opening match meant he never took to the pitch at all during the campaign.

"Unfortunately Marselino has suffered an injury that will keep him out for the rest of this tournament. We have received official confirmation from the MRI results," Herdman stated following Indonesia's match against Vietnam at Pakansari Stadium, Bogor, West Java on Monday.

The English head coach explained that medical staff had run full comprehensive checks on the Oxford United player's condition. Based on the MRI findings, Marselino has been ruled unfit to return to action in the immediate foreseeable future.

Herdman declined to disclose the exact nature of Marselino's injury. He did however emphasise that this decision was taken entirely in line with the medical team's official recommendations.

According to Herdman, player welfare must always remain the top priority. For this reason, the coaching staff refused to take any risks that could potentially worsen Marselino's condition.

"This is such a shame for the kid. Everyone knows the attacking threat he is capable of providing," he added.

Despite losing one of his side's most talented creative players, Herdman stated he hopes this situation will present an opportunity for other squad members to step up and take greater responsibility on the pitch.

He maintained that the Garuda squad still possesses sufficient quality to compete, even as they continue the tournament without Marselino.

Herdman also noted that Marselino himself has accepted his situation, and understands it is now up to his teammates to carry Indonesia forward through the 2026 AFF Cup.

Ever since picking up the injury ahead of the opening group fixture against Cambodia, Marselino has never been named in Indonesia's matchday squad at any point during the group stage.

Even without Marselino, Indonesia recorded a 5-1 win over Cambodia, followed by a 3-0 away victory against Timor Leste.

This positive run came to an end however, when Indonesia were beaten 0-3 by Vietnam in their third group stage fixture.

This defeat has tightened the race for semi-final qualification. Indonesia now face a decisive final group match against Singapore in order to keep their knockout stage hopes alive.

Marselino's unavailability presents an extra challenge for Herdman as he finalises his game plan. The young player's creativity, passing vision and ability to build attacking moves are qualities that will be extremely difficult to replace.

Nevertheless, Herdman remains optimistic that his available players will show the team's fighting character heading into this upcoming critical fixture.

The match against Singapore will be Indonesia's final test of the group stage. The result will decide whether Rizky Ridho and his teammates can progress to the semi-final round of the 2026 AFF Cup.