AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 Officially Rolls Out Tomorrow, All Coaches Are Optimistic About Welcoming Fierce Competition

Viralterkini.idJakarta — The atmosphere at the highest futsal competition in Asia is starting to heat up. Indonesia is officially ready to hold the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup which will start on Tuesday, January 27 2026. Two main venues, Indonesia Arena and Jakarta International Velodrome, have been prepared to welcome the 16 participating countries who will compete for the title of Asian champion.

Ahead of the tournament kick-off, a pre-match press conference was held at the Indonesia Arena, Jakarta, Monday (26/1/2026). The agenda was attended by coaches and team representatives from Group A and Group B who will compete in the preliminary phase.

In Group A, host Indonesia is joined by Iraq, Kyrgyzstan and South Korea. Meanwhile, Group B is filled with Southeast Asian powers, Thailand and Vietnam, who will compete with Middle Eastern representatives, Kuwait and Lebanon.

The first match schedule is full of tension
The first day of the event is predicted to immediately present high-intensity matches. From the Indonesia Arena, the opening match of Group A will pit Iraq against Kyrgyzstan at 15.00 WIB. The main focus is on the evening match at 19.00 WIB, when the Indonesian National Futsal Team faces South Korea in front of thousands of its own supporters.

Meanwhile at the Jakarta International Velodrome, Group B competition will open with a big match between Thailand and Lebanon at 13.00 WIB. The match continues with the Kuwait versus Vietnam duel at 17.00 WIB.

Home and Opponent Optimism in Group A
The coach of the Indonesian National Futsal Team, Hector Souto, emphasized the mental and physical readiness of his team to face this prestigious tournament. He acknowledged the high expectations of the public, but asked players to remain focused on the game.

“All the players are ready to face the match in the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup. The level of the match is of course very different because all Asian countries have prepared,” said Hector.

“We are playing at home. Our focus is to finish each match well. The players are in very good condition to face tomorrow’s first match,” he added.

On the other hand, the South Korean coach, Paulo Fernandes, admitted that he was enthusiastic about playing in Jakarta. He assessed that the match atmosphere would be a valuable experience for his team.

“Playing in Indonesia will be an interesting experience, especially as many people will watch it. However, our main goal is still to win,” stressed Paulo.

Iraq coach, Joao Carlos, also came with high targets even though he brought many new players.

“We came to Indonesia to win. Even though more than 40 percent of our players are new faces, our target is still to qualify for the next round. This is an important experience for players at the Asian level,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Kyrgyzstan coach, Nurjan Djetybaev, emphasized the seriousness of his team’s preparations.

“All countries want to win, and so do we. We came early to Jakarta so that preparations could run optimally,” he said.

Group B is considered the most evenly distributed
Tight competition is also predicted to occur in Group B. Vietnam coach, Diego Giustozzi, assesses that all teams have balanced quality.

“We are in a very even and strong group. But we are confident that we can qualify. This is a different level of competition,” he explained.

Thailand coach, Rackhpol Sainetngam, admitted that his team came with limited preparation, but remained optimistic.

“We brought a lot of young players with a short preparation time. Even so, we are confident that this squad will be able to advance to the next round,” he said.

From the Kuwait camp, coach Bruno Garcia highlighted the importance of flying hours for young players.

“We brought a lot of young players who need to continue to hone their experience. All the teams in this group are strong, but we will fight to produce the best results,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lebanon coach, Ricardo Iniguez, emphasized that his team was ready to go all out.

“All teams come to win. This group is very balanced and we will give our best performance in every match,” he concluded.

The 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup is certain to be an event to prove the strength of Asian futsal as well as an important momentum for Indonesia as the host. (ma)