Persib Failed to Lift the 2026 President's Cup Trophy, Adam Alis Immediately Shifts Focus to AFC Champions League Two

Persib Bandung midfielder Adam Alis has chosen to focus on the positives following his side's failure to claim the 2026 President's Cup title. While acknowledging Persebaya Surabaya's superiority in the final fixture, the 32-year-old stated that Maung Bandung's campaign throughout the tournament deserves full recognition.

Persib had to settle for runners-up after falling 4-5 on penalties in the final match held at Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Bali on Thursday. The sides had previously been locked at 1-1 after extra time, after Patricio Matricardi cancelled out Ramadhan Sananta's first half goal to force the tie to be decided from the penalty spot.

Rather than dwelling on disappointment, Adam instead extended his congratulations to Persebaya, while also praising the fight shown by his teammates who had guided Persib all the way to the tournament showpiece.

"Congratulations to Persebaya for winning the President's Cup. I am not disappointed at all. I am proud of every single one of my teammates for getting us this far, for everything we have achieved," Adam stated, as quoted from Persib's official website on Friday 7 August 2026.

Persib Competed Strongly Despite Limited Preparation

Adam explained that reaching the final was only possible thanks to the combined hard work of all players, coaching staff and backroom team. He noted that Persib entered this pre-season tournament with an extremely short preparation window, and had not been able to field their full first choice squad for the competition.

Even with these constraints, Maung Bandung still delivered competitive performances across every match. The squad's fighting spirit became their core asset, allowing them to match up against every other top side in the tournament.

Persib also used this pre-season platform to hand competitive minutes to new signings and academy youth players. This approach is viewed as a critical investment to build squad depth ahead of the long upcoming competitive season.

Positive Campaign Lays Foundations For The New Season

Across the 2026 President's Cup, Persib showed very promising form. Bojan Hodak's side recorded three wins from three group stage matches, before eliminating long-time rivals Persija Jakarta in the semi-final round.

For Adam Alis, this run provides an invaluable foundation to build on-field chemistry between players, and solidify the team's readiness ahead of official competitive fixtures.

With the pre-season tournament now concluded, Persib have turned their focus to their next major challenge: the AFC Champions League Two play-off round, before they begin their 2026/27 Super League campaign.

Adam confirmed that the entire squad is now fully focused on preparing for these upcoming targets.

"We are looking forward now, we will focus on the ACL and the domestic league. See everyone when the league kicks off," the 32-year-old midfielder added.

While they did not lift the 2026 President's Cup trophy, Persib's form across the tournament has given clear positive signs. With the squad continuing to gel and valuable pre-season experience under their belt, Maung Bandung are confident they will be fully prepared to compete at both domestic and continental level this season.