Indonesia’s national football team is embarking on an extensive recruitment drive, calling up an additional ten European players to strengthen its squad ahead of the newly established FIFA ASEAN Cup. This significant tournament, sanctioned by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), is set to be hosted on Indonesian soil, making national team performance a key priority.
The latest wave of call-ups includes a mix of established professionals and promising talents from various European leagues. Among the notable additions is goalkeeper Emil Audero, who currently plies his trade with Spanish top-flight club Rayo Vallecano. He is joined by five players from the Dutch Football League: goalkeeper Maarten Paes from Ajax Amsterdam, defender Dean James of Go Ahead Eagles, midfielder Nathan Tjoe-A-On from Willem II, defender Justin Hubner representing Fortuna Sittard, and forward Ole Romeny.
Further reinforcing the squad are defender Elkan Baggott, a towering 1.96-meter player from Millwall in the English second tier, and midfielder Joey Pelupessy, who plays for Lommel in Belgium. These players are expected to contribute significantly, many having previously featured in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup earlier this year.
Beyond Europe, Indonesia has also cast its net wider, bringing in two talents from other regions. Striker Mitchell Baker, standing at an impressive 1.96 meters, joins from Georgetown Hoyas in the United States, having recently scored four goals in a previous ASEAN Cup tournament. He is accompanied by Luke Vickery, a striker from the Australian Football League.
This follows an initial recruitment phase at the end of August when Indonesia secured three professional defenders: captain Jay Idzes, Calvin Verdonk, and Kevin Diks. All three had previously been instrumental in Indonesia’s 2026 World Cup qualifying efforts. However, the team has confirmed that Jay Idzes will unfortunately be absent from the upcoming tournament due to an injury.
The current 23-player Indonesian national squad features a substantial number of naturalized and hybrid players, underscoring the team’s strategic approach to talent acquisition. Seventeen members fall into this category, with 13 hailing from the Netherlands, two from Australia, one from England, and one from Italy.
The FIFA ASEAN Cup is scheduled to kick off on September 25. Indonesia, placed in Group A, will open its campaign against Singapore on September 25, followed by a match against Malaysia on September 28, before concluding its group stage fixtures against Bangladesh on October 1.
