Indonesia national football team prepares for AFF 2026 amid player availability issues

The Indonesia senior squad is finalising its preparations for the 2026 AFF Championship. A centralized training camp in Bali runs until 20 July, with coach John Herdman focusing on fitness and internal competition to select the 23‑man roster. The team’s opening group match against Cambodia is scheduled for 27 July at Stadion Pakansari, Bogor, and will be broadcast live on RCTI.

Herdman expressed disappointment that several overseas clubs have refused to release players for the pre‑tournament camp, citing pre‑season periods. The refusal affected striker Luke Vickery of Macarthur FC, who will miss the tournament. To offset the loss, naturalised forward Mitchell Lee Baker, who took his Indonesian oath on 13 July, has been added to the squad and is eager to debut.

Captain Jay Idzes has also opted out of the AFF squad to join Serie A side Sassuolo for the new season, leaving a vacancy in central defence. Herdman will rely on domestic‑based players and recent naturalisations to fill the gaps as the team aims to advance from Group A.