"Every day I wake up, everything I'll be thinking about is qualifying this team for a World Cup." That's John Herdman, the man who took Canada to their first World Cup in 36 years, now installed as Indonesia's head coach. He didn't take the job to win a regional trophy. He took it to change the trajectory of Asian football.
The ASEAN Cup has barely started — Cambodia have already shipped seven goals in two games — but the tournament running through late August in Phnom Penh is serving a much larger purpose. Asian qualification for the 2030 World Cup begins next year, and every group game, every squad selection, every naturalized debutant is part of a longer calculation.
Indonesia's naturalization gamble is already paying off
Indonesia's most eye-catching move has been an aggressive naturalization program, bringing in overseas-eligible players to strengthen a squad that came closest of any Southeast Asian nation to reaching the 2026 World Cup. The latest additions: Mitch Baker and Luke Vickery, both Australian-born, both now Indonesian citizens after separate July ceremonies in Jakarta.
Baker, 19 years old, marked his debut with a hat-trick against Cambodia. Player of the match in his first game. That's not a soft start — that's a statement.
Erick Thohir, who sits simultaneously as Indonesia's Minister of Youth and Sports and head of their football federation, has made the ambition explicit: SEA Games, Asian Games, Olympics, World Cup. That's the full list. Indonesia have never won the ASEAN Cup in 15 editions despite reaching the final six times, so there's unfinished business at every level. Their opening 5-1 demolition of Cambodia sets the early tone. Friday brings Timor Leste, then Vietnam and Singapore follow next week.
Vietnam and Thailand aren't just along for the ride
Defending champions Vietnam are managed by Kim Sang-sik, a South Korean who played at the 2006 World Cup and watched the 2026 edition with his squad, dreaming out loud about one day competing on that stage. That kind of cultural buy-in from a coach matters more than pre-tournament quotes suggest.
Thailand, the tournament's most decorated side with seven titles, come in under Anthony Hudson with expectation baked in. "The fans deserve success because they've been crying out for it," Hudson said. Seven titles and still a fanbase that feels underserved — that's the pressure of consistent near-misses.
The format sends the top two from each group into the semifinals, with the final played over two legs on August 22 and 26. After that, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam all shift focus to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, which kicks off in January.
- Indonesia have never won the ASEAN Cup in 15 attempts, reaching the final six times
- Thailand hold the record with seven ASEAN Cup titles
- Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian nation to appear at a World Cup — as Dutch East Indies in 1938
- John Herdman previously guided Canada to their first World Cup since 1986
- Debutant Mitch Baker, 19, scored a hat-trick on his Indonesia debut against Cambodia
ASEAN Football Federation president Khiev Sameth believes a Southeast Asian World Cup qualification "is becoming increasingly attainable." Given the investment Indonesia are making and the coaching quality now entering the region, that's less wishful thinking than it would have been five years ago. Whether the ambition survives the actual qualifying grind is a different question entirely.
