Indonesia called up 11 naturalized players to the national football team in early September. Nine of them were included in the starting lineup by coach Shin Tae-yong. That team drew 1-1 against Saudi Arabia and 0-0 against Australia in the first two matches of group C in the 2026 World Cup’s third qualifying round. This was a huge difference from eight months ago when Indonesia lost 0-4 to Australia in the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup.

With players of Dutch origin, Indonesia’s streak of success has continued since the beginning of 2024, after passing the Asian Cup group stage and reaching the semifinals of the U23 Asian Cup. The number of naturalized players on the team is still increasing, with newcomers Mees Hilgers and Eliano Reijnders, who are playing in the Dutch championship.

Hilgers, 23, played for FC Twente in a 1-1 draw with Man Utd in the Europa League group stage on Sept. 25.

Reijnders, 24, a key player of PEC Zwolle, decided to play for Indonesia, his mother’s homeland after his brother Tijjani was called up to the Netherlands national team.

The rise of Indonesia’s national football team has been met with growing concerns that the influx of naturalized players could undermine the team’s identity and diminish the motivation of native players. Opposition to naturalization comes not only from the public but also from politicians, including members of the House of Representatives and the Indonesian Olympic Committee. The question that they asked is “When will Indonesia stop naturalizing players?”.

At a press conference at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights on Sept. 19, PSSI president Erick Thohir said that differences in opinion are understandable.

“We are aiming to improve the achievements of the national team,” Thohir told Between. “Naturalization is a long-term policy.”

Thohir, 54, emphasized that naturalization is a global football trend and is in accordance with the rules. FIFA does not prohibit naturalization, as long as players prove that they have lived continuously for five years in the country, or prove that they have ancestry from their parents or grandparents. This criterion is similar to the naturalization law of many countries, including Indonesia and Vietnam. However, Thohir affirmed that PSSI is focusing on players of Indonesian origin, after seeing great potential in the diaspora community in the Netherlands.

Indonesia was a Dutch colony from 1800 until 1945. The human connection between the two countries continues today, including football, with many Indonesian players growing up and benefiting from a well-developed football system. Through the Netherlands, Indonesians also migrated to other countries in Europe.

“We want to harness the talents of Indonesia abroad,” Thohir added. The association does not neglect domestic talent, but is strengthening youth training to prepare for the future of the national team.”

Thohir’s vision is to have 154 high-quality players for the national team. The PSSI naturalization project is built in parallel with the short-term, medium-term and long-term player development plan, at the U17 and U19 teams, who won the title and finished third in the Southeast Asian tournaments this year, respectively.

Women’s football is also not left out when the team are training in Japan, with seven players of Dutch descent.

Indonesian government, especially the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, is committed to supporting the naturalization project.

“Sports, especially football and basketball, are our pride,” Minister of Law and Human Rights Supratman Andi Agtas told CNN Indonesia.

From the success of football, Agtas believes that other sports can also start recruiting naturalized athletes. The response came immediately from the Indonesian Basketball Association, with president Nirmala Dewi affirming that they will work with the ministry to quickly get passports for several athletes.

However, naturalization is just one element in the broader development of Indonesian football. PSSI executive member Arya Sinulingga said that the federation wants the national team to improve first because it is easy to implement and deliver a quick impact.

On Sport77Sinulingga said: “President Thohir’s goal is making Indonesians love football again. The first thing he did was to improve the national team because it boosts interest in football across the country without facing too much interventio.”

This strategy paid of as Indonesia have gone from being outside the top 170 of FIFA ranking in 2020 to 129th in September 2024. Sinulingga said that the PSSI’s finances are increasing as sponsors came in large numbers. Thanks to that, PSSI had the capital to upgrade the national championship Liga 1, with the introduction of VAR and the occasional use of foreign referees.

In addition to clubs and youth training, PSSI also recognized that good players require good coaches, but Indonesia lacks many qualified football coaches. The country has 12,000 coaches compared to Japan’s 93,000. But Indonesia’s population is about 275.5 million, while that number of Japan is 125 million. The ratio is about one football coach for every 23,000 people in Indonesia and Japan has one coach for every 1,350 people.

The qualifications granted by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are also considered a measure of the development of football in a country. The number of coaches with A, B, C certifications in Japan is 29,000, 8,000 and 2,800 while in Indonesia is 3,000,700 and 35.

Thohir’s leadership has raised Indonesia’s international football profile, a sharp contrast to past FIFA sanctions. In 2023, Indonesia was stripped of the right to host the U20 World Cup after Bali refused entry to Israeli representatives. Thohir’s diplomatic efforts helped the country avoid harsher penalties and Indonesia was later named as the replacement for Peru to host for the 2023 U17 World Cup.

Indonesia has also hosted friendly matches against top-tier teams, including World Cup champions Argentina, and aims to bring more elite teams to the country. Recently, FIFA has established a representative office in Indonesia. PSSI also signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with the Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB).

“The main goal of this cooperation is to improve the quality of young players and football talents in Indonesia,” Thohir said.

In Southeast Asia, Indonesia are now a tough opponent for Thailand and Vietnam, as evidenced by three consecutive victories against the latter in 2024.

Sinulingga admitted that even with more naturalized players, Indonesia were only be on par with Vietnam in the first two matches which they won 1-0 in the Asian Cup group stage in January and the first leg of the World Cup qualifiers second round in March. But with the addition of players like Ragnar Oratmagoen and Thom Haye, they thrashed Vietnam 3-0 in the second leg at My Dinh Stadium, leading to the dismissal of coach Philippe Troussier.

“New faces have made a difference, and now we can beat Vietnam,” Sinullinga said as he laughed off criticism of Indonesia’s naturalization policy.