John Herdman: AFF Cup Key to Indonesia's 2030 World Cup Dream

August 6, 2026 | 11:41 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian national team head coach John Herdman stated that the 2026 ASEAN Championship, or known as AFF Cup, is an integral part of his squad's preparations toward the big goal of qualifying for the 2030 World Cup.

"From a coach's perspective, Indonesia's main target is to qualify for the 2030 World Cup. If we look back, before that, there's the 2027 Asian Cup, then FIFA tournaments, and the AFF Cup," Herdman said, as quoted in an official statement from the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) in Jakarta on Thursday.

The English tactician elaborated that throughout the 2026 AFF Cup, he is providing domestic league players, who previously missed out on the FIFA Match Day fixtures in March and June 2026, an opportunity to prove their quality.

Herdman wants these players to demonstrate their full potential as individuals, as team players, and as leaders both on and off the pitch. He implemented this approach to enhance their prospects of breaking into the Garuda squad that will compete in the 2027 Asian Cup and the upcoming 2030 World Cup Qualifiers.

"We've been together for about 33 days. During that time, we've built a sense of camaraderie, established a tactical identity, and strengthened our togetherness. Therefore, this tournament is a platform to test Indonesian domestic players. That's the main goal," Herdman said.

Despite that goal, he noted that the Garuda squad has by no means abandoned its ambition of delivering a historic first AFF Cup trophy to the Indonesian public. "Behind all that, of course, there's a bigger dream: bringing the first trophy for Indonesia and being the first generation to do so," Herdman said.

According to the coach, that ambition fuels the spirit and motivation driving his squad every single day. "We want to be pioneers. Since the first day we met, that's the message we've always instilled in the team," Herdman said.

Indonesia aims to advance toward this target by overcoming Singapore in their final Group A fixture of the 2026 AFF Cup at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday, August 7. Securing a victory will guarantee the Garuda squad a berth in the semifinals by finishing among the top two teams in the group.

Indonesia currently sits in third place in the standings with six points, trailing second-placed Singapore and group leaders Vietnam by a single point.

"If we fail to achieve this, it will be very painful. Because once an opportunity like this is missed, it won't necessarily come again. That's why I said that Indonesia is a team that is hurting, but also very hungry. We won't be playing around tomorrow," Herdman said.

Read: Indonesia vs Singapore: Garuda Confident in AFF Cup Clash

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