Indonesia coach: 'Vietnam national team is a very strong opponent, but we need challenges'

Indonesia's head coach, John Herdman, stated that the primary objective of the team is to secure a spot at the World Cup, despite participating in the 2026 AFF Cup at this time.

The English strategist is increasing the training volume for the Indonesian national team during their training camp in Bali from early July 2026 in preparation for the AFF Cup 2026.

"Our goal is to earn a ticket to the World Cup. The next objective is to truly compete at the AFC level," Herdman said.

"Therefore, the AFF Cup gives us an opportunity to develop together. Our goal is to qualify for the World Cup. The next goal is to be able to compete at the AFC level."

Additionally, Herdman also commented on the strength of Indonesia's opponents at the 2026 AFF Cup, such as the Vietnam national team, which has recently added several new naturalized players.

"I am very excited. As I understand, the Vietnam national team has just naturalized three players from Brazil, so they will become a very formidable opponent," Herdman said.

"I also noticed that they have won four friendly matches before entering the tournament. Therefore, we really need to be challenged. That is exactly our goal in being here," he said.

In the 2026 AFF Cup, the Indonesian national team is in Group A alongside defending champions Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, and Timor Leste.

Coach John Herdman and his players will kick off with a home match against Cambodia on July 2, then play away against Timor Leste (July 31), host Vietnam (August 3), and conclude the group stage with a home game against Cambodia on August 7.

This is seen as an opportunity for Indonesia to test their strength in the journey towards the broader goal of World Cup qualifying and competing at the Asian level.