Herdman will succeed Patrick Kluivert, who was sacked last October after the national team failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"This will be the moment of a new era for PSSI and Indonesia's football, whose national football team will be managed by a coach with World Cup experience," PSSI Chairperson Erick Thohir stated in his written statement on Saturday.
Thohir credited the support of President Prabowo Subianto, which he said has helped the federation improve governance and strengthen the foundations of Indonesian football, particularly at the junior level.
The move, he said, began with the appointment of John Herdman as the new head coach of the national team.
“I am pleased with President Prabowo’s instruction for us to reset and pursue a more aggressive agenda. Today, we resume the national team’s World Cup preparation program under John Herdman, whose credentials have been proven,” Thohir said.
The 50-year-old football manager reportedly turned down offers from the Honduran national team in favor of joining the Garuda Squad. During his tenure in Indonesia, Herdman has also been mandated to oversee the U-23 national football team.
Herdman is the first coach to have led both a women’s and a men’s national team from the same country to the FIFA World Cup. He guided Canada’s women’s team to World Cup appearances in 2007 and 2015, and the men’s team to qualification for the 2022 World Cup.
The new coach will face a busy 2026, starting with Indonesia’s participation in the FIFA Series during the FIFA Match Day window from March 23 to 31, 2026, at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta.
Meanwhile, the 2025 ASEAN Championship is scheduled to kick off on July 25, while additional FIFA Match Day fixtures are set for June, September, October, and November 2026.
As head coach of the U-23 team, Herdman will also lead the Young Garuda squad at the Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, in September 2026.
Related news: Indonesia shortlists five names for national football team coach
Translator: Fajar Satriyo, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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