AFC Futsal Asian Cup - Indonesia’s Souto, Iraq’s Carlos primed for showdown

Jakarta: There will be no letting up from Indonesia and Iraq despite both having already secured their respective berths in the quarter-finals of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026™ when they face off on Saturday.

At stake will be the Group A top spot, which could mean a smoother progression route in the knockout stage and both teams are determined for a third consecutive win.

#ACFutsal2026 | Group A: Kyrgyz Republic 3-5 Indonesia

Indonesia, with their fans roaring them on, showed they are a force to be reckoned with after another scintillating display in the 5-3 victory over Kyrgyz Republic on Thursday, with head coach Hector Souto keen to finish the group stage with a flourish.

“We showed today that we have a really strong team,” said Souto. “In futsal, you can lose even when you play well so I congratulate Kyrgyz (Republic) for a good game."

“Congratulations to my players. It’s only the second time that Indonesia have reached the quarter-finals. It’s never easy.

"People have high expectations and we will do our best to try and match that by getting first position in the group.”

Anticipating a packed Indonesia Arena, head coach Joao Carlos is bracing his team for a difficult tie but Iraq will enter the tie with confidence derived from their last gasp 3-2 win against Korea Republic on Thursday.

“The Iraq team will always show a great fight, every ball, every minute,” said Carlos. “That’s how we won the match."

“Korea came into this match under pressure as this game was their last chance, so we expected them to be a bit desperate. It was difficult but in the end, we got the win.

“Now we need to recover because we fully expect another difficult match as Indonesia will have a full stadium backing them."

Indonesia v Iraq
Venue: Indonesia Arena (Jakarta)
Kick-off: Saturday, 19:00 (UTC+7)

Kyrgyz Republic and Korea Republic will look to salvage pride when they meet on Saturday, with both already eliminated.

Kyrgyz Republic head coach Nurjan Djetybaev had to endure another heartbreaking match after his team fell 5-3 to Indonesia despite fighting back from 3-1 down to draw level.

“The game was great for the fans but not so much for the coaches,” said Djetybaev. "Knowing how difficult the atmosphere would be against the home team, I changed my team and I felt that they did well.”

#ACFutsal2026 | Group A: Korea Republic 2-3 Iraq

As for Korea Republic head coach Paulo Fernandes, there was also disappointment after a lapse in concentration at the end saw his team lose despite having held their own against Iraq.

“The game is 40 minutes long but the intensity that we put in was not enough, not according to how we prepared,” said Fernandes.

“This game was a game that we needed to win, that’s why we had to risk it all. It didn’t turn out how we expected but that is the nature of matches.”

Kyrgyz Republic v Korea Republic
Venue: Jakarta International Velodrome (Jakarta)
Kick-off: Saturday, 19:00 (UTC+7)

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