A Busy Schedule Awaits The Indonesian National Team in 2024: Starting from the Asian Cup, FIFA Matchday to AFF

Indonesian national team. (Photo: Twitter/@TimnasIndonesia)

JAKARTA - 2024 will be a busy period for the Indonesian National Team. A number of age groups will appear and compete in various prestigious football events.

At the beginning of 2024, the senior level national team will first start their struggle by appearing in the 2023 Asian Cup. The continental level tournament will take place in Qatar from 12 January to 10 February 2024.

The participation of the senior national team in this event in 2024 is also a proud record. Because for the first time since 2007, Indonesia can appear again in the Asian Cup.

The team coached by Shin Tae-yong joined Group D with Japan, Iraq and fellow Southeast Asian representatives, namely Vietnam. The first match in Group D will be against Iraq at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, on January 15 2024.

In the second match, the Indonesian National Team will play against Vietnam at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, January 19, 2024. Meanwhile, in the third match they will face Japan at Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, January 24, 2024.

Three months later, it was the U-23 national team's turn to appear in the U-23 Asian Cup. This continental junior level event will return to Qatar from April 15 to May 3, 2024.

The U-23 Asian Cup is an important agenda with high targets because it is the gateway to the 2024 Olympics. Indonesia's opportunity to appear at the world sporting event is wide open if it manages to come out at least as a finisher in the top three positions, or through the play-off round if it reaches the position fourth.

The two agendas involving the two age groups of the national team are still both under the supervision of head coach Shin Tae-yong. Considering that the coach's contract is projected to end in June 2024, it is possible that these two agendas will be the focus of the coach from South Korea.

Moreover, these two agendas will also be moments of assessment for the continuation of Shin Tae-yong's fate. If he is successful in these two Asian level tournaments, it is not impossible that his contract will continue.

This is because the national team's agenda does not stop until the middle of the year. At the end of 2024, the tournament that awaits the Garuda squad is the 2024 AFF Cup. This tournament between Southeast Asian countries is expected to be an important event for the Red and White representatives to again aim for the first title in history.

This agenda must be carried out seriously, especially since there is talk that the AFF Cup has the opportunity to be included in the FIFA calendar. This news emerged after Gianni Infantino witnessed the 2022 AFF Cup final live, last January.

If that happens, then the biennial competition will become a mandatory agenda for the Indonesian National Team to participate in.

Apart from that, if the Indonesian National Team passes to the second round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifications in the Asia Zone, it will make the schedule for Shin Tae Yong's team even busier.

The first round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification for the Asian Zone will be played by the Indonesian national team against Brunei Darussalam in the home away match on October 12 and 17, 2023.

If they win this match, the Indonesian National Team will qualify for the second round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifications in the Asia Zone and will enter Group F along with Iraq, Vietnam and the Philippines. The agenda will take place from November 16 to June 11, 2024.