6 Players Cut from Kurniawan's Indonesian National Team for the 2026 U-17 Asian Cup

JAKARTA - Indonesia U-17 National Team coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto has crossed six players from the squad list that will compete in the 2026 U-17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

The six players who were cut by Kurniawan were Mierza Firjatullah, Syahdan Caesar, Handri Dimas, Shoyyo Himawan, Alfa Al Faruqi Rangkayo, and I Komang Semadi.

Mierza who is a mainstay player in the Indonesian U-17 front line, was forced to be cut off due to injury. This player from the 2025 U-17 World Cup has an injury in the 2026 U-17 AFF Cup.

"Mierza (Fijratullah) because the results of the MRI do not allow him to play and it is very dangerous if forced. He must rest for at least 4-6 weeks," said Kurniawan in a statement quoted Sunday, April 26.

Even though he had to give up six names, Kurniawan already had a list of replacement players. He chose to call three diaspora players, namely Matthew Baker (Melbourne City), Noha Pohan Simangunsong (NAC Breda), and Mike Rajasa (FC Utrecht).

For the 2026 U-17 Asian Cup, the Garuda Muda squad will be filled with 23 players. However, only 21 names will depart for Saudi Arabia from Jakarta.

Two other players, namely Noha and Mike will come later. The two will leave directly from the Netherlands in order to take advantage of the limited time.

The 2026 U-17 Asian Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia on May 5-22, 2026. In the group stage, Indonesia will compete with Japan, China, and Qatar in Group B.