2026 President's Cup and the Unfinished Maturation Process

JAKARTA - Football provides entertainment and satisfaction when Persebaya Surabaya defeats Persib Bandung in the 2026 President's Cup final which is full of drama. Only the presentation of quality matches still leaves unfinished work, especially in terms of mental maturity of the champions.

The right and important step when a tournament like the President's Cup becomes an annual agenda. Even the tournament is a much-needed warm-up event for clubs from the professional league because it is held in the pre-season or before the competition resumes.

The presence of a pre-season tournament is really important to change the order which is indeed not appropriate but has become a habit of clubs such as the duration of player contracts and physical problems.

Yes, local clubs competing in the highest and lowest classes on average give players a one-year contract or at most two years. Once the competition is over, the club then releases players who failed to contribute throughout last season.

Moreover, the player's contract has expired so it is not difficult for the club to let him go. Meanwhile, those who are the pillars of the team will be retained by receiving a one-year contract or even being recruited by other clubs.

Physical Improvement

This is what makes every coach in the league forced to build and prepare the team from the beginning. They have to make physical improvements to the players to get back to a competitive level. Teams also hunt for places that can be used to increase stamina and endurance.

Some choose to undergo physical training in high areas such as mountains or practicing on the beach. After doing physical 'training' for one or two months, the team enters the technical and tactical phase. The coach hones the individual technical ability and the organization of the team's game, which is realized through various trials or participating in tournaments.

"The team's preparation, so far, has been through several phases. It started with the physical phase when the coach did a gojlokan to increase the stamina of his team. After the physical, the team entered the technical and tactical phase," said Vennard Hutabarat, former national football and futsal player in an interview with Voi.id.

"When the team is in the physical phase, they are then forced to follow the tournament. For teams that emphasize more on technique and tactics, they are certainly very enthusiastic when participating in the President's Cup. Because it is held in the pre-season, this is part of the maturation of the team and the coach can monitor how ready the players are to welcome the competition," he said again.

The situation is different when the team is still in the physical phase as experienced by Persija Jakarta. The capital team not only appointed a new coach, Shin Tae-yong, but the 2018 President's Cup champion also brought in many new faces. Persija really appeared with new strength when fighting in the tournament.

However, the achievement of Macan Kemayoran is very impressive because it was able to reach the semifinals before being stopped by the defending Super League champion Persib Bandung. Persija finally took third place after defeating Arema FC 3-1.

"Persija is actually in the early phase because it focuses on team building with a new coach and players who have just joined. But they were able to compete and reach the semifinals before finally taking third place," said Vennard, who also played for Persija.

Persija Tampil Solid

Even though it is a team with a new face, Shin Tae-yong was able to make Persija a solid team. Persija's performance in the President's Cup is a picture of the power map in the league that will be tight.

Meanwhile, Persebaya emerged as champions after defeating Persebaya 6-5 through a penalty shootout drama at the Captain I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar, Thursday, August 6, 2026.

The success of the Super League elite teams dominating the President's Cup shows how they build a capable team through a process that is not short. Persija, which appeared with many new players, has actually been formed for quite some time. This is what makes them still able to 'speak' in the President's Cup even though they have not recently made preparations.

Meanwhile, Persib, Arema FC and Persebaya have indeed become solid teams that were built not in one or two years of competition. The dominance of the big four of the Super League has also been seen since the semi-final round.

"The fight is exciting and very entertaining because the teams show quality and of course high prestige because a derby is created. Yes, the Indonesian Derby or our version of El Clasico when Persib meets Persija. Meanwhile, the East Java Derby is presented when two rival teams, Persebaya and Arema FC meet," said Vennard.

The President's Cup pre-season tournament, like it or not, is still a team need so that they are not reluctant to participate. The tournament is also actually entertainment for the community. After the 2026 World Cup, they were then treated to a spectacle that was no less interesting with a level that of course was different.

Even though fans or spectators can't attend the stadium, they can still watch the match through live broadcast on television. The atmosphere of the match can also be felt when they are booing or watching together.

The presence of foreign teams, namely DPMM (Malaysia), Tampines Rovers (Singapore) and Port (Thailand) who have the status of defending champions of the President's Cup certainly give their own color. No less a thumbs up is worthy of being pinned for the organization of the tournament because it gives local players the opportunity to face foreign teams. Last year, Port together with a team from the English League One Oxford United FC who also enlivened the tournament.

"Our players need flight time in matches against foreign teams. Why is it necessary? This is to mature the mental state of the players. Of course it's different when we meet teams from other countries and it can add confidence to the players. I agree that the President's Cup always presents foreign teams," said Vennard.

Brazil and Argentina

In fact, it is not impossible to invite teams with higher quality such as from South Korea, Australia or Japan. Who knows, the top teams in Brazil such as Flamengo, Sao Paulo or Argentina such as Boca Junior can appear in the President's Cup. Moreover, our football has a closeness to those two countries because many Brazilian and Argentine players are active in the Super League and Championship.

It's just that the mental maturity of the players is indeed a homework that has not been completed. Players still need time to be formed to have a champion mentality in international matches.

The failure of the national team in the 2026 AFF Cup again proved that our players are still difficult to compete because they do not have good mental strength. First, Indonesia was only able to play a draw 1-1 against Singapore, which made the national team fail to qualify for the semifinals.

The failure in the Southeast Asian level tournament shows that there is still a lot of work to be done so that national players are able to compete at the international level. The presence of the President's Cup, which is held regularly every year, is not a solution.

However, the tournament can help players strengthen their mental competition. That players must realize that they do not need to enter the physical phase when they are about to participate in the competition because they are professional players who no longer discuss physical matters.

It's like their physical condition is ready to play in the league because during the competition break, the players still maintain their body condition.

Thus, the team only needs one or two weeks to settle the players' physical condition when starting preparations. Furthermore, the players are ready to fight in tournaments and competitions.