Indonesia have reached the final of the first FIFA ASEAN Cup in the most dramatic way possible. On Thursday night, 1 October, they beat Bangladesh 9-2 at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) stadium in Jakarta. At the same time in Bandung, Malaysia beat Singapore 6-0.

The results left Indonesia and Malaysia level on points and goal difference. Indonesia went through because they had scored more goals, a margin secured by a ninth goal in stoppage time, according to CNN Indonesia and detik.

The search term "FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026" drew more than one million searches in Indonesia overnight, according to Google Trends data viewed by NDNews.

A new tournament, not the SEA Games

The FIFA ASEAN Cup is a new competition for senior national teams, scheduled during an international window. It is different from the SEA Games, a multi-sport event whose football tournament is for under-23 teams. The tournament's top division is hosted by Indonesia, with matches in Jakarta and Bandung. There are no semi-finals: the two group winners meet in the final, and the runners-up play for third place.

Indonesia were drawn in Group A with Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh. Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Pakistan made up Group B.

How Group A unfolded

Date Result
25 Sep Indonesia 2-0 Singapore; Bangladesh 0-3 Malaysia
28 Sep Indonesia 0-0 Malaysia; Singapore 1-0 Bangladesh
1 Oct Indonesia 9-2 Bangladesh; Malaysia 6-0 Singapore

Sources: Malay Mail, CNN Indonesia, The Star.

Indonesia opened with a 2-0 win over Singapore, with goals from Ragnar Oratmangoen and an Ole Romeny penalty. The meeting with Malaysia on 28 September ended goalless in front of 56,894 fans. Indonesia played much of it with 10 men after Thom Haye was sent off in the first half, and goalkeeper Maarten Paes made several important saves.

Final Group A table:

Team Points Goals for Goals against Goal difference
Indonesia 7 11 2 +9
Malaysia 7 9 0 +9
Singapore 3 1 8 −7
Bangladesh 0 2 13 −11

The tiebreakers were points, then goal difference, then goals scored, VIVA explained. Indonesia's 11 goals beat Malaysia's 9.

The final night: two games, one goal

Both deciding matches kicked off at the same time. Mitchell Baker was Indonesia's hero, scoring five times against Bangladesh. Rizky Ridho, Justin Hubner, Luke Vickery and Kevin Diks also scored. Bangladesh scored once in the first half and again in stoppage time.

In Bandung, Malaysia were just as ruthless. Bergson da Silva scored a hat-trick, starting with an early penalty, and Stuart Wilkin, Paulo Josue and Syahir Bashah added the others.

With Malaysia 6-0 up in Bandung, Indonesia needed one more goal. At 8-2, their goal difference was one short of Malaysia's. Baker's late goal levelled the goal difference and put Indonesia ahead on goals scored.

Indonesia's coach, John Herdman, said the players knew the score elsewhere. "We knew what was happening in the other match. We just didn't know how Malaysia could possibly beat Singapore 6-0," he said after the game, ANTARA reported (NDNews translation). He also called it "the craziest match I have ever been part of", while noting it was not his biggest win.

The irony for Malaysia

For Malaysia, the outcome was painful. They did not concede a single goal in three group matches and won their last game 6-0, yet they still missed the final.

Malaysia's interim coach, Tan Cheng Hoe, took the result calmly. "As a coach I'm a little disappointed that we didn't qualify for the final," he said, as quoted by Bola.com (NDNews translation). "In football this can happen... there is joy and sorrow in sport, and of course we must move forward, think positive."

Some Indonesian social-media commentators questioned Singapore's performance in Bandung. No evidence has been presented, and no governing body has announced any inquiry, VIVA reported.

Malaysia will face the Group B runner-up, decided on Friday, in the third-place match on Monday, 5 October, at 16:00 WIB, CNN Indonesia reported.

Reactions in Indonesia

PSSI chairman Erick Thohir celebrated at the stadium. "God is with us all," he said, ANTARA reported (NDNews translation).

Herdman urged the squad to stay focused. "We must celebrate this, but there is still one more step to take," he said, according to CNN Indonesia (NDNews translation).

The final: Indonesia vs Thailand
Match Indonesia vs Thailand
Date Monday, 5 October 2026
Kick-off 20:00 WIB
Venue Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta

Source: CNN Indonesia.

Thailand won Group B with a game to spare, including a 2-0 win over Vietnam and a 4-0 win over Pakistan. Emtek holds the tournament's broadcast rights in Indonesia; matches have been shown on SCTV, Indosiar and the Vidio streaming platform, according to Bola.com.

Key numbers

  • 9-2: Indonesia's win over Bangladesh
  • 5: goals scored by Mitchell Baker in one match
  • 6-0: Malaysia's win over Singapore
  • 11 vs 9: goals scored, the tiebreaker that decided the group
  • 0: goals Malaysia conceded in the group stage

This article was researched with AI assistance and reviewed by the NDNews editorial team. It is based on match reports as of 2 October 2026. Quotes translated from Indonesian are marked.