Indonesia Failed to Qualify for the 2026 ASEAN Championship Semi-Finals After Being Held to a Draw by Singapore

Indonesia National Team has officially failed to advance to the semi-finals of the 2026 AFF Cup, also known as the 2026 ASEAN Championship. This confirmation came after the Garuda Squad could only secure a 1-1 draw against Singapore in the final Group A match, held at Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore on Friday, 7 August 2026.

This result means Indonesia will exit the tournament early. The single additional point was not enough to carry John Herdman's side through to the final four of the competition.

Indonesia had briefly given themselves hope when Ragnar Oratmangoen scored early in the second half. However, Singapore equalised through Ilhan Fandi, leaving the match to finish 1-1.

With this result, Indonesia concluded the group stage in 3rd place of Group A standings with 7 points. Singapore secured the runners-up spot with 8 points, while Vietnam finished top of the group after defeating Cambodia 3-1.

This elimination marks a disappointing record for the Indonesia National Team. For the first time since the 2012 and 2014 editions, the Garuda Squad has once again failed to progress past the group stage in two consecutive AFF Cup tournaments.

Indonesia Applied Pressure Right From Kickoff

Indonesia immediately played aggressively the moment the first whistle blew, knowing only a win would be enough to book their place in the semi-finals.

A golden opportunity arrived just two minutes into the match. Wahyu Prasetyo played a long ball which found Mitchell Baker inside the penalty box. The tall forward managed to dribble past three opponents including goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud before firing his shot.

Unfortunately, Shah Shahiran was able to clear the ball right off the goal line, denying what looked like a certain opening goal.

Indonesia continued to control the flow of the game, but struggled to create clear cut chances up until the 15th minute.

On the other side, Singapore began to threaten. In the 24th minute, Song Ui-young broke free from his marker and fired a close range shot, only for Cahya Supriadi to react quickly and pull off the save.

Seven minutes later, Ilhan Fandi attempted an acrobatic scorpion kick effort. Once again, Cahya Supriadi produced a crucial stop to keep the scores level.

Just before half time, Indonesia created another chance through Ivar Jenner, but his strike was blocked by the Singapore defensive line, leaving the first half goalless.

Ragnar Opens The Scoring, Ilhan Fandi Equalises

Indonesia finally broke the deadlock just two minutes after the second half got underway.

The attacking move started with Thom Haye sending in a cross, which Dony Tri Pamungkas headed on towards Ragnar Oratmangoen. Ragnar's first attempt deflected off a defending player, but he reacted fastest to the loose ball and fired home past the Singapore goalkeeper.

Indonesia's lead raised the intensity of the match. Singapore were almost reduced to 10 men in the 58th minute when Song Ui-young was shown a second yellow card.

However, this decision was overturned by the referee following a VAR review.

Momentum soon shifted towards the home side. In the 66th minute, Ilhan Fandi pounced on a loose ball following a punched clearance from Cahya Supriadi. Though his strike was not hit with full power, the ball found its way into the back of the net to level the score at 1-1.

Indonesia pushed to regain their lead. Their best chance came in the 79th minute when Rizky Eka received a pass from Thom Haye, but his first time shot flew wide of the target.

As the match entered its closing stages, Singapore sat deep to defend their point, looking to hit Indonesia on the counter attack. The hosts also had a chance from a free kick in the 87th minute, which was once again safely dealt with by Cahya Supriadi.

John Herdman attempted to add attacking threat late on, bringing on Beckham Putra and Jens Raven in the final minutes. Despite maintaining constant pressure right up until the final whistle, Indonesia could not find the winning goal.

This 1-1 draw confirms Indonesia's exit from the 2026 AFF Cup at the group stage, with Singapore joining Vietnam in progressing to the tournament semi-finals.