FIFA President Gianni Infantino has met the President of the Republic of Indonesia, His Excellency Prabowo Subianto, and held discussions with Asian Football Confederation (AFC), ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and FIFA Member Association (MA) representatives from across Asia before attending the final of the first FIFA ASEAN Cup™ where Indonesia and Thailand served up a four-goal thriller before the hosts prevailed following a penalty shoot-out.

Mr Infantino had met President Subianto on two previous occasions in which the head of state had made clear his love of football. He reiterated his passion for the beautiful game and his desire to see it make even further strides forward as he and the FIFA President talked at the State House.

“It was a privilege to meet Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto, in Jakarta, to discuss our continued fantastic collaboration. Under his leadership, and guided by PSSI President Erick Thohir, Indonesian football has enjoyed incredible growth, highlighted by the passion and dedication of everyone involved in the sport,” said Mr Infantino, who was joined on the visit by Mr Thohir, who is also Indonesia’s Minister of Youth and Sports. “We also discussed the remarkable success of Indonesia hosting the historic competition – a true testament to the nation’s ability to put on world-class events. President Subianto’s unwavering commitment to the game is invaluable to our mission, and we remain fully dedicated to empowering local communities and inspiring the next generation through football.”

In close collaboration with President Subianto’s government and the PSSI, FIFA programmes have already contributed significantly to developing football in Indonesia.

A first PSSI technical centre has been completed thanks to funding from the third phase of FIFA Forward and the facility was recently used by the Indonesian national team preparing for the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival™ taking place in Azerbaijan later this month. It is the latest step in a FIFA Forward-funded development strategy initially put in place in 2017, and which has since been reinforced and advanced since Mr Thohir took office at the PSSI in February 2023.

Indonesia was one of 11 MAs in the pilot phase of the FIFA Arena project when it was initiated in May 2025 and on his latest visit Mr Infantino headed to one of the two mini-pitches installed in Jakarta to launch another FIFA programme, FIFA Boots for All, by handing out free pairs of football boots to underprivileged children.

Elsewhere, FIFA Football for Schools has already impacted almost 1.25 million children across all of the country’s 38 provinces since its launch in October 2022 while the FIFA Talent Development Scheme and Women’s Football Development Strategy are also woven firmly into the PSSI’s core efforts. Indeed, the PSSI recently approved funding to organise a female C License Coaching Course in the latest step to bring more Indonesian women and girls into the beautiful game.

Infrastructure improvements have also led to Indonesia becoming a hub for FIFA tournaments in recent years. They hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023™ and a FIFA Series 2026™ before providing the stage for the climax to the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup.

At a meeting with AFC, AFF, PSSI and MA representatives at the FIFA Indonesia Office in Jakarta – a regional hub for Southeast and East Asian MAs – Mr Infantino highlighted the importance of hosting and participation in continental and global tournaments to development across all of FIFA’s 211 members.

“This is what football is about; this is what FIFA is about; this is what ASEAN is about; this is what Asia is about. Football belongs to everyone, everywhere. This is my vision as FIFA President; this is our vision. Together, we want to grow the game, not just for these two billion people who are participating in this event, but for many more who are regularly excluded from the top competitions that we organise,” explained the FIFA President.

“Competitions like this, the FIFA ASEAN Cup, competitions like the FIFA Arab Cup that we hosted in Qatar are exactly going in that direction.”

The party, including Mr Infantino, AFF President Major General Khiev Sameth, AFF General Secretary Winston Lee and AFC Deputy General Secretary Vahid Kardany, then attended the historic FIFA ASEAN Cup final as part of a capacity 70,000+ crowd in Jakarta’s iconic Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, the majority of whom left delighted at seeing the hosts crowned the tournament’s maiden champions.

“As this football-loving nation celebrates its momentous victory, I once again thank Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto, the PSSI led by President Thohir and all involved in this truly special first FIFA ASEAN Cup,” said Mr Infantino following Indonesia’s gripping 4-2 penalty shoot-out success against Thailand, with the two teams having shared a 2-2 draw after extra time. “Your work united teams from this region as we continue taking football to all corners of the world for everyone to experience and enjoy!”