What do Vietnam and Thailand think?

During this period, at the continental and regional youth levels, Vietnamese and Thai football also demonstrated superiority over the rest.

The Vietnam U23 team won two gold medals at the 30th and 31st SEA Games, and two consecutive Southeast Asian U23 championships (2022, 2023), while the Thailand U22 team won one gold medal at the 29th SEA Games. At the U20 and U23 Asian Championships, Vietnamese football has emerged as a leading force, most notably reaching the semi-finals of the 2016 U19 Asian Championship and participating in the 2017 U20 World Cup, and finishing as runner-up in the 2018 U23 Asian Championship…

But over the past two years, Indonesian football has been on the rise. The national team of the archipelago has defeated the Vietnamese national team three times in a row at the 2023 Asian Cup and the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Indonesia is also the only team from Southeast Asia to reach the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. In the FIFA rankings updated in April, they were the fastest-rising team in the world (up 8 places), while Vietnamese football has been steadily declining.

At the youth level, Indonesian football deservedly won the gold medal at the 32nd SEA Games. Most recently, they triumphed at the 2024 Southeast Asian U.19 Championship, once again defeating Thailand.

Two years ago, Thai football legend Piyapong Pue-on predicted that "Indonesia could become a major obstacle, a competitor to Vietnamese and Thai football in the near future." That prediction is now coming true.

Indonesia: Exponential progress!

Last April, the International Football Federation (FIFA) published an article specifically analyzing the success of Indonesian football. FIFA assessed that the archipelago nation has made "exponential progress," with hosting the 2023 U-17 World Cup finals being a turning point.

"The 2023 U.17 World Cup has had a profound impact on the development of Indonesian football. It has helped Indonesia improve its infrastructure, providing a world-class playing field for players to promote their development."

"The tournament in Indonesia also attracts the interest and enthusiasm of young people, creating a solid foundation for the development of football in the archipelago," FIFA quoted a representative of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI).

The facilities are gradually being improved, enabling PSSI to organize annual tournaments for young players. Diego Mandela Basro, a sports journalist for CNN Indonesia, shared with Thanh Nien Newspaper: "The success of Indonesian youth football comes from youth tournaments, where many talents emerge."

The youth tournament is called Elite Pro Academy, and includes U.16, U.19, and U.23 age groups. Players compete in a round-robin league format with home and away matches, as well as a knockout round.

From there, some players quickly matured and made their mark in the national league. For example, Dony Tri Pamungkas, the best player of the 2024 Southeast Asian U.19 Championship, plays regularly in Liga 1 for Persija.

Furthermore, PSSI is also working closely with FIFA to develop youth training and women's football. Notably, FIFA has also provided $5.65 million in funding for Indonesia to establish its first-ever national youth training center.

Over the next two years, PSSI will continue to seek funding and government budget to complete this center, which is expected to have 8 FIFA-standard football pitches, fully equipped with modern facilities, aiming to surpass Vietnamese and Thai football in the long-term race.

With systematic investment from the ground up, thanks to the resources and vision of passionate tycoons, Indonesian football has enormous ambitions. They not only want to surpass Vietnamese and Thai football to "reign supreme" in Southeast Asia, but also aim to become the first regional representative to qualify for the World Cup.

PSSI chairman, billionaire Erick Thohir, affirmed: "Our immediate goal is to be in the top 100 in the world. If we continue to build the national team from young players like this, Indonesia's long-term goal is to qualify for the World Cup as a direct winner, not just as the host nation."