FIFA is moving toward handing Indonesia a landmark tournament, and PSSI Chairperson Erick Thohir isn't hiding his confidence about it. The 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup — billed as the largest football competition ever staged in Southeast Asia — is close to being officially confirmed, with Thohir expecting FIFA to make a direct announcement within the next week or two.
"We are currently awaiting the outcome of FIFA's collaboration with us as the host nation," he told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday. Alongside Indonesia, Hong Kong is also in the frame as a co-host.
What the FIFA ASEAN Cup actually is
Think of it as FIFA's answer to the Arab Cup — a regional competition that proved a serious proving ground for national teams ahead of World Cups. That's the explicit template here. Thohir framed it directly: the goal is raising competitive standards across East and Southeast Asia with future World Cups in mind.
Indonesia already has presidential-level backing. President Prabowo Subianto has written personally to FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressing full government support. That's not a small gesture — it signals infrastructure commitment, political will, and the kind of top-down buy-in FIFA wants before greenlighting a tournament of this scale.
If confirmed, the tournament would run through September and October, giving the region a genuine marquee competition at a time when Southeast Asian football is in the middle of a broader growth push. FIFA has clearly identified the commercial and developmental upside here — the same logic that drove their expansion into the Middle East and parts of Africa.
Why this matters beyond the headlines
For anyone tracking Asian football odds and regional form ahead of the 2026 World Cup cycle, this tournament could be a serious form guide. National teams across Southeast Asia playing competitive FIFA-sanctioned football — rather than the patchwork of friendlies and AFF Championships — will generate real data on where these squads actually stand.
Indonesia's own national team, riding a wave of recent momentum under coach Shin Tae-yong, would be hosting on home soil. That's a psychological edge, a crowd advantage, and a recruitment argument all rolled into one.
The announcement, when it comes, will be FIFA's — Thohir is waiting on Zurich. But the groundwork is clearly done.
