John Herdman aims to help Indonesia break their curse at the 2026 AFF Cup

The Indonesian national team is stepping up preparations for the 2026 AFF Cup, driven by a strong desire to end a title drought spanning three decades. John Herdman is anticipated to guide the team to their first championship in the region's top competition.

Since the AFF Cup was first held in 1996, Indonesia has never won the title. The archipelago nation has reached the final six times but has always fallen short. Many coaches have come and gone, yet none have been able to break this "curse."

Now, hopes rest on John Herdman, the strategist who led Canada to the 2022 World Cup. According to Indonesian media, the English coach is rapidly building the strongest possible squad to achieve the championship goal set by PSSI.

The 2026 AFF Cup will take place from July 24 to August 26. Indonesia is in Group A alongside Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, and Timor Leste.

Since the tournament is not on the FIFA calendar, Indonesia will be unable to call up many players based in Europe, such as Jay Idzes, Kevin Diks, Ragnar Oratmangoen, Ole Romeny, Justin Hubner, Calvin Verdonk, and Emil Audero.

Nevertheless, Indonesia still has many experienced and quality players like Thom Haye, Jordi Amat, Rizky Ridho, Eliano Reijnders, Dony Tri Pamungkas, and Beckham Putera.

To prepare for the tournament, John Herdman is expected to organize a training camp in Bali soon.

Football expert Ronny Pangemanan (Bung Ropan) revealed on his personal YouTube channel that the Indonesian national team will gather shortly.

"Soon the team will enter a training camp planned to be held in Bali. We are just waiting for the official announcement from PSSI. All preparations are focused on the AFF Cup," Bung Ropan said.

According to him, Coach Herdman initially planned to call up 23 players but later increased the list to 26. This shows that the 50-year-old coach wants more time to evaluate the squad before finalizing the roster.

"I think John Herdman will select the best players for the AFF Cup. He certainly doesn't want to fail like previous coaches," Bung Ropan commented.

He also recalled that his predecessor, Shin Tae Yong, led Indonesia in three AFF Cups but was unable to bring home the title.

"I believe John Herdman wants to deliver the best results for Indonesia," Bung Ropan stated.

After the 2026 AFF Cup, Herdman will quickly shift focus to the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, which runs from September 21 to October 6.

Unlike the AFF Cup, this tournament is part of the official FIFA match calendar. Therefore, Indonesia can call up all naturalized players currently playing in Europe. With their strongest squad, PSSI will again aim for the championship.