Indonesia U-23's Failure In The 2025 AFF U-23 Cup Encourages PSSI To Build Football Even Stronger

JAKARTA - PSSI General Chairperson (Ketum), Erick Thohir, stated that the federation must build even stronger Indonesian football.

This reflects the failure of the U-23 Indonesian national team which only finished as runners-up in the 2025 AFF U-23 Cup.

The U-23 Indonesian national team failed to win the 2025 AFF U-23 Cup after losing to Vietnam U-23 in the final match. Garuda Muda narrowly lost with a score of 0-1.

Despite failing to win, Erick Thohir sees this situation as an additional motivation for Indonesia to build better football.

The chairman of PSSI also highlighted the success of Vietnam, which was able to become a champion in the AFF U-23 Cup in the last three editions.

"We must appreciate the results of the U-23 Indonesian national team. Vietnam has qualified for the final three times in a row and won three times."

"That means, we have to build stronger football. You see, in certain age groups, we have to be prepared and fight," said Erick Thohir in a statement in Jakarta quoted Friday, August 1, 2025.

The runner-up status in the AFF U-23 Cup did not stop the Garuda Muda squad. The reason is, the U-23 Indonesian national team will fight again by qualifying for the U-23 Asian Cup.

The event is important for participation in the 2026 U-23 Asian Cup. In addition, this team is also a framework for facing the 2026 Asian Games.