Indonesian media takes a strong stance as both teams reach the AFF final

Indonesian media is focusing intensely on the nation's youth futsal following the U16 and U19 teams' qualification for the Southeast Asian Age-Group Futsal Championship finals.

According to CNN Indonesia, the Indonesian U16 and U19 futsal teams have both advanced to the final matches of the two Southeast Asian Age-Group Futsal tournaments held for the first time in the same year. Indonesian media highlights that both teams remained unbeaten on their path to the finals. CNN Indonesia notes that simultaneously reaching two finals opens the opportunity for Indonesia to achieve a regional double title, something never seen before in Southeast Asian youth futsal competitions.

The Indonesian U16 futsal team secured their spot in the final earlierafter drawing 3-3 with Thailand in the last group stage match on the afternoon of December 27. CNN Indonesia states this result placed Indonesia second with 8 points, behind Thailand, who had 10 points. Previously, the U16 team had defeated Myanmar and Brunei and drawn with Vietnam.

Notably, CNN Indonesia emphasizes that the U16 Southeast Asian Futsal Championship does not have a semifinal round, so Indonesia will face Thailand again in the final despite finishing second in the group stage. Indonesian media considers this a significant challenge but also an opportunity for the young players to prove their resilience.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian U19 futsal team earned their final spot more convincingly by defeating Vietnam 7-3 in the semifinal held the same afternoon. CNN Indonesia describes this victory as an impressive performance, affirming Indonesia’s strength at the U19 futsal level.

Earlier in the group stage, the U19 Indonesia team had successively beaten Myanmar and Malaysia to reach the semifinals. However, according to CNN Indonesia, the U19 final opponent remains undecided as the other semifinal between Thailand and Malaysia was ongoing at the time of the report.

Besides covering the path to the finals, CNN Indonesia places this achievement within the broader context of Indonesian futsal in 2025. The newspaper highlights: “The simultaneous presence of both U16 and U19 teams in the finals extends the impressive streak of Indonesian futsal, following the spectacular success at the 2025 SEA Games where the men’s futsal team won gold and the women’s team took silver.”