TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto wants Indonesia to host the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup. The football tournament for Southeast Asian nations is scheduled to debut late this year.
Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir discussed Indonesia's hosting ambitions during a visit to Prabowo's private residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java. "I reported earlier that there has been a positive response from FIFA regarding Indonesia being named one of the hosts for the FIFA ASEAN Cup," Erick said on Friday, June 19, 2026.
According to Erick, Prabowo backs the plan. "The President supports this and will prepare an official letter to ensure we are selected by FIFA as a host country," said Erick, who also serves as the Chairperson of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI).
Prabowo instructed Erick to immediately coordinate with other ministries to prepare for the tournament. Erick explained that staging the FIFA ASEAN Cup requires cross-ministerial approval, including from the Ministry of Finance regarding budget allocations and the Ministry of Health for medical protocols.
Erick hopes that FIFA will finalize the host selection for the tournament in the coming weeks. "I am confident that we stand a good chance," the former state-owned enterprises minister added.
According to Erick, the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is slated to run from September to October this year. This newly formatted tournament will take place entirely within the official FIFA international match window.
Until now, Southeast Asian nations have competed in the biennial AFF Cup. However, that tournament sits outside the world governing body's official calendar, meaning matches do not affect the FIFA world rankings of competing countries. For the same reason, football clubs are under no obligation to release their players for national team duty during the AFF Cup.
Conversely, match results in the official FIFA ASEAN Cup will directly impact the FIFA world rankings of the participating nations. National teams will also face fewer hurdles in calling up their top talent, as clubs are mandated to release players for official FIFA calendar events.
Read: Prabowo Pushes PSSI to Improve Football Structure for World Cup Bid
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