Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) has officially appointed former Canada national team coach John Herdman as head coach of the Indonesia national football team, marking a new chapter for Indonesian football.

PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir said the appointment reflects a strategic shift toward long-term development. 

“This is the moment Indonesian football enters a new era under a coach with World Cup qualification experience,” he said in a statement on Saturday (3/1/2026), as reported by antaranews.com

Coach Herdman replaces Patrick Kluivert, who was dismissed in October 2025, and has also been tasked with leading the Indonesia U-23 team. The 50-year-old British coach is known as the only manager to have guided both a country’s men’s and women’s teams to FIFA World Cup qualification.

With Canada, Coach Herdman led the women’s team to the 2007 and 2011 World Cups and two Olympic bronze medals, before taking the men’s team to the 2022 World Cup. In 2026, he will lead Indonesia through FIFA Match Days, the AFF Cup, and the Asian Games.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)