In 2022, Indonesia passed the middle-power test with flying colors. The country capped the year-long Group of 20 presidency against all odds with a summit in Bali in November that was not only well-attended, but also came out with a joint statement after bridging the division among the members of the 20 world’s largest economies over the war in Ukraine.

Now in 2023 comes another big test whether Indonesia has the credentials to stake its claim as a rising middle power in Asia and in the world when it hosts the under-20 world soccer tournament. In many respects, this is a much bigger test than leading the G20 last year and certainly more global and more telling than chairing ASEAN this year.  

The FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will take place in May and June, will attract at least the 23 other participating countries and given the increasing popularity of soccer worldwide, the tournament will attract many more nations. Unlike the G20, the U-20 World Cup will draw the attention of the global public and not only the political and foreign policy elites who had followed the G20.

The global spotlight will be on Indonesia, not of the same scale as when Qatar hosted the soccer World Cup in November 2022, but far more than what the G20 Summit ever did. With good preparations, Indonesia can capitalize on this opportunity to help replenish its status as a credible middle power.

The G20 presidency proved that Indonesia has what it takes to be a good host and organizer and given the challenges facing the group, quite an effective global leadership. Kudos to the government of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for pulling off what for a while looked like an impossibility.

We are not expecting the U-20 national team to make much of an impact. We are not even in the top 100 in the FIFA ranking. As host, Indonesia has an automatic right to participate while other nations must compete for the remaining 23 slots. Indonesia can make an impact globally by being a good host and organizer of the tournament and given the global spotlight, Indonesia can show that it has the necessary credentials to be a global power to reckon with.  

With its growing international profile, Indonesia will inevitably come under greater scrutiny by the global public when it hosts the U-20 tournament. Qatar’s experience is instructive when some of its values, policies and practices were questioned. These include its human rights record, from the deaths and conditions endured by migrant workers to LGBTQ and women’s rights.

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