2026 Asian Futsal Cup: Indonesia Destroy Japan to Reach First Final in History

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Futsal National Team advanced to the final of the 2026 Asian Futsal Cup (AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026) after defeating four-time champion Japan surprisingly with a score of 5-3 in the extension round in the semifinals, Thursday, February 5, 2026, at the Indonesia Arena.

The Garuda squad, who managed to overcome a fierce resistance in normal time to come out as winners, will meet Iran in their first appearance in the final of the Asian Futsal Cup in history on Saturday, February 7, 2026.

Both teams started the match strongly. Shoto Yamanaka forced goalkeeper Ahmad Habibie to make a save in the third minute and Ryoto Kai fired wide a minute later.

The Indonesian hosts held on firmly. Yogi Saputra then tested goalkeeper Hiroshi Tabuchi from the left wing in the sixth minute and Samuel Eko did the same a few moments later.

Despite the attack, both teams failed to create real opportunities. Kokoro Harada's chance hit the left post in the eighth minute and immediately hit the side net.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Futsal National Team's attack, which tried its luck from a long distance kick, also did not bear fruit.

However, Indonesia Arena rumbled in the 11th minute when Samuel Eko took the ball off the mess in front of the Japanese goal, turned, and fired from outside the half circle past Tabuchi's feet to land in the right corner of the opponent's goal.

Japan's attempts to get back into the game were marked by a number of dangerous chances. Captain Kazuya Shimizu's shot hit the left post.

Then, Ahmad Habibie was forced to struggle to save shots from Harada and Tomoki Yoshikawa before deflecting Takehiro Motoishi's hard kick in the 18th minute.

Not wanting to be pushed, the Garuda Squad tried to turn back the threat. Samuel Eko again made Tabuchi sweat when he broke through the opponent's defense and forced the goalkeeper to make a brilliant save. The effort ended the first half.

The captain of the Indonesian Futsal National Team, Mochammad Iqbal, again made the home fans cheer after the break when he received a pass from Israr Megantara, but Tabuchi was quick enough to thwart his close-range shot.

Ahmad Habibie then stretched his legs on the side of the opponent's field to deflect a shot from Shunta Uchida before the Red-White Team added to Japan's misery in the 23rd minute.

Starting from Motoishi who was under pressure to put the ball into his own goal from Adriansyah Nur's opportunity.

Israr and Brian Lindrey almost widened the Indonesian Futsal National Team's lead, but Tabuchi was still able to stop it.

Falling behind by two goals made Japan react with a chance from a free kick by Yusei Arai that hit the crossbar. The long-awaited goal for Kensuke Takahashi's team came in the 31st minute.

Motoisihi gave his side a glimmer of hope when Ahmad Habibie failed to latch onto his low shot from just outside the half-circle, the ball slipping away after he had initially managed to touch it.

Not wanting Japan to catch up, the Indonesian Futsal National Team again spread the threat. This forced Tabuchi to make an important save from Firman Adriansyah and Samuel Eko's chances to keep his team in the game.

Despite having a solid defense, the Garuda Squad finally fell short as well. Shimizu equalized in the 35th minute when he fired a hard shot from the left that really made Ahmad Habibie helpless.

After the 2-2 draw, the match was tense and dramatic. Firman Adriansyah thought he had scored the Indonesian Futsal National Team's winning goal one minute before the end of the match when he kicked the ball from outside the half circle. The score became 3-2.

However, Japan quickly turned the tide in the final seconds when they got a penalty after Iqbal committed a handball. Shimizu fired past Ahmad Habibie to level the score at 3-3.

The match continued into extra time. The Indonesian Futsal National Team did not give up. Reza Gunawan gave them the lead in the last minute of the first half of extra time when he took advantage of a wrong pass from Arai and fired from outside the half circle.

Then, Rizki Amanda took advantage of the opponent's pass to ensure victory three minutes into the second extra time. The Indonesian Futsal National Team won 5-3 over Japan and advanced to the 2026 Asian Futsal Cup final.