After being eliminated by Vietnam U17, Indonesia undergoes a 'revamp' ahead of the Asian Championship

Unable to defeat Vietnam U17 and having to stop at the group stage of the Southeast Asian championship, Indonesia U17 made significant changes to its squad and traveled early to Saudi Arabia to prepare for the Asian championship, aiming to secure a World Cup ticket.

The head coach of Indonesia U17 national team, Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto, has decided on the names to be removed from the list for the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals.

Specifically, Kurniawan had to remove: Muhammad Mierza Firjatullah, Syahdan Caesar El Fadhil, Handri Dimas Sulistyo, Shoyyo Himawan, Al Faruqi Rangkayo Budi Ginting, Komang Semadi.

In the case of Mierza, this player is still suffering from a hamstring injury. Coach Kurniawan stated that the recovery process for the 17-year-old forward could take from 4 to 6 weeks.

"There are six players we sent back to their clubs, one of them is Mierza. MRI results showed he cannot play.

It would be very risky to force him to play. He needs at least 4 to 6 weeks of rest before he can resume activity."

These six players could not compete for spots in the 23-player list selected by Kurniawan for the Indonesia U17 team participating in the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals held in Saudi Arabia from May 5 to 22, 2026.

The Indonesia U17 national team departed for Saudi Arabia last night, April 25, 2026, with 21 players, including Matthew Baker, who just joined the squad.

Two other players, Mike Rajasa and Noha Pohang Simangunsong, are expected to join the team in Saudi Arabia today, April 26, 2026.

At the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals, Indonesia U17 is in Group B alongside: Japan U17, China U17, Qatar U17.

Only the first and second-placed teams in Groups A–D will qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026 held in Qatar in November this year.

However, Group B has a special case: if Qatar U17 is among the top two, the third-placed team in the group will also secure a ticket to the 2026 U17 World Cup.

The 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals have 16 participating teams, divided into 4 groups of 4 teams each; the top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals and also qualify for the U17 World Cup.

Recently, North Korea U17 withdrew, leaving the tournament with 15 teams. This does not significantly affect the race for U17 World Cup spots, only Group D with 3 teams will play fewer matches.

A total of 5 teams from the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) are participating: Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, and Myanmar.

Vietnam U17 is in Group C alongside South Korea, Yemen, and UAE. Thailand is in Group A, a tough group with host Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Myanmar. Indonesia is in Group B with Japan, China, and Qatar. Australia is in Group D with Uzbekistan, India, and North Korea (which has withdrawn).