Arya News - Indonesia`s second straight AFF Women`s Cup crown confirms its growing dominance in Southeast Asia`s second tier, but the bigger challenge lies in closing the gap with the region`s elite and building a sustainable future for women`s soccer.
JAKARTA – Winning two AFF Women’s Cup titles in a row has established Indonesia as the team to beat in Southeast Asia’s second tier.
Garuda Pertiwi swept through this year’s tournament with authority, lifting the trophy after a commanding 5-0 victory over Laos in the final while collecting the competition’s top individual honors. Sheva Imut was named Most Valuable Player, Laila Masykuroh earned Best Goalkeeper and Indonesia’s attack overwhelmed opponents throughout the tournament.
But inside the national team, the celebrations have never been about the trophy alone.
For captain Viny Silfianus, retaining the title confirms Indonesia’s progress, yet also serves as a reminder that the country’s biggest ambitions remain out of reach.
“The title is only one step,” she said. “There is another level we have to reach. Our goal is to compete with the best teams in the world.”
That ambition extends well beyond the AFF Women’s Cup. The tournament is viewed as a steppingstone toward the ASEAN Women’s Championship, where Indonesia must prove it can compete with the region’s established heavyweights.
The title itself reflected how far Garuda Pertiwi has evolved.
Sydney Hopper opened the scoring in the final before Isabelle Nottet, Estella Loupatty, Felicia Victoria de Zeeuw and Emily Nahon completed the rout. All five goals came from players with overseas backgrounds, highlighting the increasingly international makeup of the squad.
Bringing those players together required as much work off the field as on it.
To bridge the gap between local and overseas-based teammates, the coaching staff deliberately mixed players during meals, organized ice-breaking sessions before meetings and encouraged them to spend time together outside training.
“Chemistry is very important because soccer is a team sport. It really affects how we play on the field,” Viny said.
The stronger bond was evident throughout the tournament, helping Indonesia recover from previous setbacks against Singapore and grow in confidence with each match.
“Our target from the beginning was to become champions,” Viny said. “By the time we reached the final, we were more confident.”
“The title is only one step. There is another level we have to reach. Our goal is to compete with the best teams in the world.” — Viny Silfianus, captain, Team Indonesia
Higher mountain
Dominant as Indonesia appeared, soccer analyst Akmal Marhali believes the team’s true test has yet to come.
The AFF Women’s Cup, he noted, remains Southeast Asia’s second-tier tournament and serves as qualification for the ASEAN Women’s Championship.
“The opponents Indonesia faced in the AFF Women’s Cup were relatively balanced in quality and not among Southeast Asia’s elite,” Akmal said. “The real benchmark will come in the ASEAN Women’s Championship.”
Indonesia, ranked 110th in the world, has historically struggled against the region’s leading nations. Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines all sit inside FIFA’s top 50 and have built far more mature women’s soccer programs.
The Philippines reached the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, while Thailand and Vietnam have become regular contenders at the highest level in Asia.
“Indonesia still has to keep improving if it wants to compete with Vietnam, Thailand and especially the Philippines,” Akmal said. “These teams have played at the World Cup.”
For Viny, those are precisely the teams Indonesia now wants to chase.
“There is another level we have to reach,” she said. “Our goal is to compete with the best teams in the world.”
Foundation beneath
Indonesia’s latest triumph also exposes the work that still needs to be done at home.
The title-winning squad featured several naturalized and overseas-based players, with every goal in the final scored by soccer players who developed abroad.
Akmal believes overseas recruitment has accelerated Indonesia’s progress, but warns it cannot become the country’s long-term strategy.
Instead, he argues, sustainable success depends on rebuilding the domestic women’s game.
“We cannot build a strong national team without a healthy competition,” he said. “The players finish tournaments and then have no league to sharpen their skills. That’s the biggest challenge.”
Indonesia has lacked a regular women’s league since Liga 1 Putri was discontinued after its inaugural season in 2019, leaving many national team players without consistent competitive soccer.
The issue has become a rallying cry for the players themselves. After a defeat to Chinese Taipei in last year’s AFC qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, members of Garuda Pertiwi unfurled a banner urging Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) chairman Erick Thohir to revive the women’s league.
The call is now set to be answered, with the league scheduled to return in October featuring six clubs from Greater Jakarta.
For Indonesia, the timing could hardly be more significant.
Winning another regional title has demonstrated how much Garuda Pertiwi has improved. Whether that momentum can carry Indonesia into Southeast Asia’s top tier, and eventually onto the global stage, will depend not only on the players lifting trophies today, but on the domestic game producing the next generation tomorrow.