Indonesia's national team coach declares the goal of winning the FIFA tournament.

John Herdman states Indonesia's target is to clinch the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup to prove its dominance in Southeast Asia.

The Indonesian national team is demonstrating enormous ambitions. Under coach John Herdman, the team not only targets the long-term goal of the 2030 World Cup, but the English tactician also identifies the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup as the crucial tournament that Garuda must conquer to assert its number-one status in Southeast Asia.

Speaking after meeting President Prabowo Subianto at Hambalang on June 19, coach John Herdman shared key plans for the Indonesian team in the coming period. According to the 1975-born manager, the ASEAN Hyundai Cup will serve as a platform for him to evaluate and test the quality of domestic players before pursuing bigger objectives.

"We will soon enter the ASEAN Hyundai Cup. This is a great opportunity for me to test and assess domestic players at the international level," Herdman said. As Indonesia increasingly boasts naturalized players and those playing in Europe, this tournament is seen as a chance for domestic talents to prove their ability and compete for starting spots.

However, Indonesia's approach to the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup is completely different. According to media in the archipelago nation, this is a tournament that PSSI and the coaching staff have extremely high expectations for. It is no longer a platform for experimenting with squad depth. The FIFA ASEAN Cup is seen as the arena where Indonesia must claim a title. in order to assert its strength in the region after years of heavy investment in the national team.

"The FIFA ASEAN tournament is one we must win to prove that we are on top of Southeast Asia. This is an important step we need to take, and we must bring the trophy home."Herdman emphasized. This statement shows the immense determination of the English strategist at a time when Indonesia possesses a generation of players considered among the strongest in the country's football history.

Aside from the ambition to win Southeast Asia, John Herdman also does not hide a further goal: securing a spot in the 2030 World Cup. He stated that President Prabowo Subianto and hundreds of millions of Indonesians are expecting the national team to make a historic breakthrough. "He is one of 280 million people who want us to qualify for the 2030 World Cup. Every day we wake up obsessed with that goal, because if we succeed, it will change everything for this country forever."Herdman shared. With strong backing from the Indonesian government and PSSI, Garuda is setting its sights on conquering both the regional arena and the world football stage in the coming years.