FIFA President Gianni Infantino has spoken of his great appreciation for the support that Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has given to football in his country following a meeting between the two leaders in New York, United States, during the United Nations General Assembly High-level week 2025.

Indonesian football has enjoyed impressive growth in recent years, and the country hosted a FIFA tournament for the first time when it staged the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023™ in November and December 2023. In June 2025, Mr Infantino and Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) President Erick Thohir signed a Host Country Agreement (HCA) to formally establish a FIFA hub for Southeast and East Asia in Jakarta.

“It was my privilege to meet Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto in New York and discuss our fantastic collaboration, where we touched upon providing more opportunities to the youth,” said the FIFA President.

“Under the leadership of President Prabowo and guided by PSSI President and recently elected Sports Minister Erick Thohir, Indonesian football has enjoyed significant growth, which was recognised through the FIFA Forward Gold award earlier this year and I wished him luck as his nation seeks to qualify for next year's FIFA World Cup.

“The support of President Subianto, who I met last year as well, and his government is greatly appreciated at FIFA. Together, we will continue to make a difference using FIFA Forward funds and maximising the already active FIFA initiatives such as the FIFA Talent Development Scheme and FIFA Football for Schools.”

Indonesia has a good chance to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 26™ for what would be their first appearance since 1938, when they participated as the Dutch East Indies and became the first Asian country to feature in football’s global showpiece.

They have reached the fourth round of Asian qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 26 where they will face Saudi Arabia on 8 October and Iraq on 11 October in Group B, in a mini-tournament format, with both matches in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The group winners will qualify for next year’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States while the runners-up will meet the runners-up of Group A in November 2025 in the fifth round, with the winners advancing to the inter-continental Play-off Tournament in March 2026.

Thanks to USD 5.4 million in funding from FIFA Forward, the PSSI National Training Centre has been built and FIFA’s support also encouraged the Indonesian government to provide additional funding. The project, which will service the needs of the country’s elite teams, has also earned the PSSI one of the first FIFA Forward Gold Awards for FIFA’s Asian Member Associations, recognising their use of FIFA Forward funding to develop football infrastructure.

In May 2025, two new FIFA Arena mini-pitches were opened near schools in Indonesia as part of Mr Infantino’s pledge to build at least 1,000 new mini-pitches worldwide to benefit children. The FIFA Football for Schools programme, which aims to teach children life skills through football activities, was also launched in the country in 2022.