U-17 Indonesian National Team Ready to Face the 2023 U-17 World Cup
The U-17 Indonesian national team is preparing for the biggest challenge of their young careers: the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will be held in their home country from 10 November to 2 December. The tournament will be the first time that Indonesia will host a FIFA event and the first time that the U-17 World Cup will be held in Southeast Asia
The U-17 team, also known as Garuda Muda (The Young Garuda), qualified for the World Cup as the host nation, but they also proved their worth in the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals and lost to eventual champions Iran.The team is coached by former national team player Bima Sakti, who has been working with the squad since 2022.
Bima Sakti said that he is confident that his players can compete with the best teams in the world and make Indonesia proud. He said that he has been focusing on improving the physical, technical, tactical, and mental aspects of his players, as well as building a strong team spirit and identity.
“We have been training hard and playing friendly matches against local and foreign teams to prepare ourselves for the World Cup. We have also been studying our opponents and their strengths and weaknesses. We know that every match will be tough, but we are ready to face them with courage and determination,” he said.
The U-17 team consists of 23 players who were selected from various clubs and academies across Indonesia. Some of them have also trained abroad, such as Welber Jardim, who plays for Brazilian club São Paulo, and Rionaldi Mehran, who plays for German club Schalke 04.The team captain is Iqbal Gwijangge, a defender who plays for Barito Putera. He said that he is honored to lead his teammates and represent his country in the World Cup.
“It is a dream come true for me and my teammates to play in the World Cup, especially in front of our own fans. We are very excited and motivated to show our best performance and make our nation happy. We hope that we can get a lot of support from the Indonesian people and inspire them with our football,” he said.
The U-17 team is drawn in Group A of the World Cup, along with Brazil, Mexico, and New Zealand. They will play their first match against Brazil on 10 November at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, which has a capacity of 77,193 spectators.The other venues for the tournament are Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, Manahan Stadium in Surakarta/Solo, Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium in Bali, and Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang.
The U-17 team hopes to make history by becoming the first Indonesian team to advance to the knockout stage of a FIFA tournament. They also aim to emulate or surpass the achievements of their predecessors, who finished fourth in the 1990 AFC U-16 Championship and reached the quarter-finals of the 2018 AFF U-16 Championship.
