Ending a 10-Year Curse, Indonesia Win FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 After Penalty Drama
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- Timnas Indonesia menaklukkan Thailand melalui adu penalti di SUGBK dan meraih trofi FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, memutus rekor buruk tanpa kemenangan atas Gajah Perang sejak 2016.
- Kemenangan ini juga mengakhiri paceklik gelar di SUGBK yang bertahan sejak SEA Games 1987, sekaligus menuntaskan enam kegagalan sebelumnya di final Piala AFF.
- Dua eksekutor Thailand, Sarach Yooyen dan Nattapong Sayriya, gagal menunaikan tugas, sementara seluruh algojo Indonesia tampil sempurna.
Indonesia closed a ten-year wait by beating Thailand on penalties in the final of the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday (5/10/2026) night WIB. The match was tight: the score stayed 1-1 through normal time, then became 2-2 after extra time, before the shootout drama secured the trophy for the Garuda squad.
This win is more than just a title. Since 2016, Indonesia had not beaten Thailand even once in the past ten years. The head-to-head record shows Thailand won four times and seven matches ended in draws. The last time Indonesia beat Thailand was in the first leg of the 2016 AFF Cup final at Pakansari Stadium, Bogor, with a narrow 1-0 score.
More than that, Indonesia had long been trapped in a final curse. In the AFF Cup, Indonesia reached the final six times but always came home without a trophy. Four of those were against Thailand, namely in the 2000, 2002, 2016, and 2020 editions. Now that record has been erased.
The penalty shootout became a highlight of its own. All of Indonesia's takers completed their duties calmly, while Thailand's last two takers, Sarach Yooyen and Nattapong Sayriya, failed to execute well. Those misses secured a dramatic win for the hosts and triggered big celebrations at SUGBK.
"This is an extraordinary moment for Indonesian football. The players showed a champion mentality, especially under the pressure of the penalty shootout," said Indonesia coach John Herdman after the match.
For Herdman, this is an important achievement in his coaching career with Indonesia. Since being appointed to handle the Merah Putih squad, he has faced high expectations to end the trophy drought at the regional level. The win over Thailand in the final is evidence that the tactical approach and mental conditioning he has applied are starting to bear fruit.
From the perspective of national football, this success could boost the team's confidence ahead of the next international agenda. PSSI is expected to use this moment as a foundation for sustained improvement, from youth development to the domestic competition. The public certainly hopes this title is not just a fleeting euphoria, but a turning point toward more consistent achievement at the Asian level.
The question now: can Indonesia sustain this momentum and compete further on the Asian stage, or is this just a brief flash before facing heavier tests again?
