Indonesia once again failed to win the AFF Cup, concluding the biennial tournament with a disappointing result. This failure adds to the long record of the national team, which for 30 years straight has never won the title in this Southeast Asian regional tournament.
The team's achievements in World Cup qualification and improvement in FIFA rankings are recognised as accomplishments, but failure to claim the AFF Cup title remains a difficult reality to accept. From the era of Robby Darwis's leadership to now, through various sponsors and under several Indonesian presidents, the AFF Cup trophy remains an unfulfilled dream.
Coach John Herdman, contracted by the Indonesian Football Association during Erick Thohir's tenure, does not dismiss the AFF Cup as unimportant to long-term strategy. Herdman views the regional tournament as a foundation before targeting qualification for the 2030 World Cup, with several young players such as Calvin Verdonk, Joey Pelupessy, Kevin Diks, Ole Romeny, and Jay Idzes expected to strengthen the squad in the future.
Indonesia has tried various approaches to improve performance, from bringing in foreign coaches to recruiting naturalised players from Europe. However, strategies that succeeded for Singapore and Vietnam have yet to produce the same results for Indonesia. Poor performances at Pakansari and Singapore in this tournament raise questions about whether the team can compete at a higher level against nations with superior strength.
With the AFF Cup held every two years, today's failure is already being prepared to be avenged at the 2026 AFF Cup. But three decades have passed since the first failure in this tournament, and the question remains open as to whether the current level of the Indonesian national team has improved, remained the same, or declined compared with 30 years ago.
