Indonesia is once again sending its best youth team to the world's largest youth football event, the Gothia Cup 2026, after sending the Tangsel City U15 women's team and the Persib Cimahi Academy U13 men's team to the championship taking place in Gothenburg, Sweden, on July 12-19.
The farewell ceremony was held at the Indonesian Ministry of Youth and Sports office in Jakarta on Friday, under the theme "Carrying the Nation's Dream to the World," marking the end of the two teams' long journey after winning the Meet the World with SKF Road to Gothia Cup Indonesia 2026 program.
"For us, what's important is their experience . Having experience abroad, being able to play in football matches abroad, meeting with various countries, that's a certain experience . That Indonesia is like this, the world is like this, that's an experience ," said PSSI Executive Committee (Exco) member Arya Sinulingga while attending the send-off event at the Ministry of Youth and Sports on Friday.
More than just a matter of finding a champion, the Road to Gothia Cup is designed as a platform for developing young players by instilling the values of sportsmanship, leadership, teamwork, fair play , and cross-cultural friendship through football.
The journey to the Gothia Cup also demonstrates the collaboration of various parties in building a youth football development ecosystem in Indonesia. The government, the Indonesian Football Association , the private sector, competition organizers, and coaches all play a crucial role in providing opportunities for young Indonesian talent to gain experience competing at the international level.
In addition to being the organizer, SKF has once again demonstrated its commitment to supporting the development of Indonesian youth football through its ongoing CSR program.
Managing Director of PT SKF Industrial Indonesia, Anton Bangun, said that support for youth football is part of a long-term investment to build the character of the younger generation through sports.
"Of course, we hope they win, but our main hope is that they gain experience on the international stage. And by returning from there, they'll have character, they'll know how to compete, and they'll have experienced pressure and teamwork. That will be crucial and very useful for them as they grow up in Indonesia," said Anton.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Youth and Sports believes that synergy between the government, federations, the business world, and competition organizers is key to creating a sustainable youth athlete development system.
The Acting Deputy for Sports Culture at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Dr. Budi Ariyanto Muslim, S.Pd, M.Pd., hopes the players will take advantage of this opportunity not only to achieve success but also to bring Indonesia's good name to the international stage.
"We strongly support Indonesia's participation in the 2026 Gothia Cup. We must trust the process the government and the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) are undertaking to develop Indonesian football, including through youth development. Now, there are young people with passion, determination, and dreams of bringing honor to Indonesia's nation worldwide. Hopefully, Indonesia will continue to represent Indonesia in the Gothia Cup, and we can play a more active role in the future," said Budi.
On the same occasion, Persib Cimahi Academy captain, Ochang, who successfully led his team to become the 2025 Gothia Cup champion and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the U13 category, shared stories about the challenges of facing opponents from various countries and the importance of maintaining a competitive mentality.
"Preparations are very thorough, with intense training. We hope to defend our title. My message to the players is to keep up the good work so we can defend our title from yesterday," said Ochang.
The highlight of the event was marked by the Send Off procession in the form of a symbolic handover of jackets and hats to representatives of Tangsel City U15 and the Persib Cimahi U13 academy by representatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and PSSI.
