NOC Indonesia Urges PSSI to be More Proactive in Voicing Stance on New 2026 Asian Games Regulations
The chair of the Indonesian National Olympic Committee (NOC Indonesia), Raja Sapta Oktohari, has urged the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) to take a more proactive and forceful stance regarding new regulations being applied to the football competition at the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games.
As previously reported, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), along with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the 2026 Asian Games organising committee, have agreed to implement new rules that restrict football participation to only 16 nations.
The 16 participating nations will be selected from the 2026 AFC U-23 Championship for the men’s category and the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the women’s category.
This regulation means Indonesia cannot send representatives to the football competition at the 2026 Asian Games, as both the men’s U-23 national team and the women’s national team failed to qualify for these two tournaments.
There had been reports that the player participation limits for men’s and women’s football would be removed, which would have opened the door for Indonesia to compete. However, the OCA and AFC are continuing to follow the 16-team regulation in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 13 December 2024.
Nevertheless, Raja Sapta Oktohari stated that his organisation continues to maintain communication with the OCA regarding opportunities for Indonesia to participate in the football competition at the 2026 Asian Games.
He also expressed hope that the PSSI would take a more proactive stance in voicing protests against the policy, as the federation is the one directly impacted by the new regulation.
“The NOC Indonesia encourages, particularly the PSSI, to be more proactive and voice their position more loudly. This is important because the parties most concerned are the PSSI along with the national football federations of other countries,” Oktohari said when met in Jakarta on Friday, 13 March 2026.
However, he also called on the PSSI to take a larger role because this issue affects national football interests.
“We from NOC Indonesia have made efforts and have coordinated with the Minister of Youth and Sports,” Oktohari said.
“Subsequently, we hope the PSSI can voice this interest with greater strength, given that the federation most concerned in this matter is the football federation,” he added.
“If communication can be built widely and voiced massively, I believe pressure can also be applied so that this issue receives attention. Therefore, the driving force must come from Indonesia,” Oktohari said.
The 2026 Asian Games will take place from 19 September to 4 October 2026 in Japan.
At the three previous editions, Indonesia’s U-23 national team’s progress has always been halted in the round of 16.