AFF Women's Futsal Championships: Can Indonesia make headway?

MANILA, Philippines – Indonesia’s women’s national futsal team doesn’t always compete in tournaments. But when it does, it places rather well.

FIFA ranks the Indonesians as No. 14 in the world. In 2017, they finished third in the Southeast Asian Games. The following year, they booked a quarterfinals slot in the AFC Asian Women’s Futsal Championships, finishing fifth among the 15 participating countries.

Then in 2023, they bagged the gold medal in the first ever PFF Tri-Nation Futsal Invitational.

However, this 2024, in the lead-up to the 2024 AFF Women’s Futsal Championship in Manila (November 16-21 at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig), they lost all four of their matches in the NSDF Women’s Futsal Championship in Bangkok, Thailand.

Thailand is the prohibitive favorite in this tournament, with Vietnam having a real chance to pip the latter. Indonesia, under head coach Arif Kurniawan, is a dark horse with a lot to prove.

Led by team captain Novita Murni, Indonesia is hungry and has a lot to prove.

The Indonesians open the 2024 AFF Women’s Futsal Championships with a huge match against Thailand at 4 p.m. on November 16. 

They earn a bye on the next day and return to action on November 18 against Vietnam, once more at 4 p.m. 

Myanmar will be Indonesia’s opponent on November 19 in a game slated at 4 p.m. 

The final day of the elimination round will be a rematch of last year’s PFF Tri-Nation Futsal Invitational, when Indonesia battles host Philippines in the main game at 7 p.m.

For Indonesia to realize their championship aspirations, it is imperative they pick up a favorable result in any of their first two matches.

The battle for third and the finals will be played on November 21 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.