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View all search resultsRI aims for soccer gold in SEA Games after World Cup exit
Indonesia’s U-22 men’s soccer team will be in Group C with Singapore, Myanmar and the Philippines, with the first match of the group slated for Dec. 5.
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Players of Indonesia's under-22 (U-22) men's national soccer team warm up during a training session at the Madya Stadium of Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex in Jakarta on Nov. 11, 2025. The team will compete in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Thailand from Dec. 9 to 20. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
I
ndonesia is aiming to repeat its triumph in soccer at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), with its men’s junior national team working to lighten the gloomy backdrop to the sport following its senior counterpart’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The country’s men’s under-22 (U22) national soccer team is currently gearing up for the 33rd edition of the SEA Games, the biggest multi-sport tournament in Southeast Asia, hosted by Thailand from Dec. 9 to 20.
Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) executive committee member Sumardji, who is also the U-22 team’s manager and chair of the Indonesian National Soccer Team (BTN), highlighted the importance of snatching a gold medal to compensate for the nation’s not being able to compete in next year’s World Cup in North America.
“The only cure for the hopes and desires of [the nation’s] 280 million people is that we must be able to defend our SEA Games’ gold,” Sumardji addressed the players during a training session at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Jakarta on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara.
Last month, Indonesia’s closest-ever bid to reach soccer’s top tournament since its independence in 1945 was dashed, after the men’s senior team suffered a 1-0 defeat to Iraq in the latest round of Asian qualifiers.
Shortly after the defeat, the senior squad’s head coach, retired Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert, quit after nearly 12 months on the job following what the PSSI called a “mutual agreement”. The position has yet to be filled by a new coach.
Read also: Indonesia’s World Cup hopes dashed after defeat to Iraq
