KBRN, Jakarta: The Indonesian National Futsal Team made history by winning the gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. Team captain Mochammad Iqbal Rahmatullah Iskandar said the achievement reflects the progress of national futsal development.

It was the first time Indonesia secured a gold medal in futsal since the sport was introduced at the SEA Games in 2007. The road to victory was far from easy.

The squad, coached by Héctor Souto, lost 0-1 to Vietnam in their second match. However, in the decisive game, Indonesia stunned host Thailand with a resounding 6-1 win.

Captain Iqbal said the journey to the top required long, thorough preparation, beginning with intensive training in Indonesia and continuing with the team’s early arrival in Thailand two weeks before the competition.

“This is part of the long-term roadmap for the Indonesian national futsal team, especially since expectations are high. During preparations, there was no room for relaxation; we kept pushing forward, and alhamdulillah, the result was a gold medal,” Iqbal said on Tuesday, December 30, 2025.

The Bintang Timur Surabaya player admitted that morale dipped after the loss to Vietnam. However, Souto and his coaching staff motivated the squad to bounce back and approach the match against Thailand with optimism.

“He (Coach Héctor) always emphasizes a champion’s mentality. So after the defeat to Vietnam, we immediately focused on Thailand,” Iqbal said.

According to Iqbal, several factors contributed to Indonesia’s success in breaking Thailand’s dominance in SEA Games futsal. Among them were improvements in the quality of the domestic league and the national team's series of international friendlies.

“We previously faced Argentina, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Latvia, the Netherlands, Tanzania, and, most recently, Australia. All those matches gave us valuable experience to perform at the SEA Games,” he said.

Iqbal added that the victory serves as motivation for the team as they prepare for upcoming futsal and multi-sport events. The next challenge is the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup, which Indonesia will host in late January.

“At the end of January, we will host the AFC Futsal Asian Cup at Indonesia Arena. There will definitely be another selection process for the players,” Iqbal said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Indonesian Futsal Federation, Michael Sianipar, emphasized that the next target is to perform at their best in the Asian Cup. “This is part of the long-term roadmap for the Indonesian national team,” he said at Inews Tower, Jakarta, on Monday, December 22. (Gusti Panji/Lasti Martina)