Indonesia finalizes its super squad, giving Coach Kim Sang-sik a 'great gift'

Indonesia plans to field its most powerful team for the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup, offering a challenging benchmark for Coach Kim Sang-sik.

After the setback at the 2026 AFF Cup, Indonesia is now fully focused on the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup with ambitions to contend for the championship. Notably, the archipelago nation is expected to call up all the naturalized players who were absent from the AFF Cup, creating a significantly stronger squad that could become a formidable opponent for Vietnam.

Names like Maarten Paes, Emil Audero, Elkan Baggott, Justin Hubner, Calvin Verdonk, Kevin Diks, Jay Idzes, Mathew Baker, and Dean James are expected to return to the national team when the FIFA ASEAN Cup takes place during the FIFA Days. This allows Coach John Herdman to no longer worry about clubs withholding players, thus giving him nearly the strongest possible squad to achieve the goals set by the Football Association of Indonesia.

The presence of the naturalized star lineup turns Indonesia into a genuine quality test for Southeast Asian rivals. With a group of players largely trained in the Netherlands, Indonesia possesses a fast, direct, and physically oriented playing style. They have defeated China, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, drawn with Australia, and recently beat Oman 3-0 in a friendly series in June.

Notably, Indonesia advanced to the fourth round of 2026 World Cup qualifying and only lost to Saudi Arabia and Iraq, both of whom later qualified for the world's biggest football event. This shows that the team's strength lies not only in the reputation of its naturalized players but has been proven through matches against top Asian opponents.

For Coach Kim Sang-sik, the fact that Indonesia is bringing its strongest squad to the FIFA ASEAN Cup opens up a special opportunity. The clashes with Indonesia will provide the South Korean manager with real-world data to assess the gap between Vietnam and strong regional rivals. From there, Kim can adjust personnel, tactics, and development plans aimed at the 2030 World Cup qualifiers.

If Vietnam faces Indonesia at the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup, it will undoubtedly be the most anticipated showdown of the tournament. Indonesia may make Vietnam's path to the championship more difficult, but each encounter is also a valuable test. Regardless of the outcome, a fully loaded Indonesia will help Coach Kim Sang-sik see more clearly what Vietnam needs to improve on its journey toward major goals.