Jakarta - Nova Arianto has been tasked with leading the indonesian U-20 National team in a quest to qualify for the U-20 World Cup, beginning with preparations for the 2027 U-20 Asian Cup. Appointed by PSSI as the U-20 National Team Coach on Thursday,November 20,2025,Arianto faces a series of immediate challenges including the 2026 AFF U-19 Cup and qualifying for the U-20 Asian Cup,typically held around September.
The appointment marks a pivotal moment for Indonesian youth football, as qualification for the U-20 World Cup requires reaching the semifinals of the U-20 Asian Cup – a feat Indonesia has not achieved through sporting merit since hosting the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, where they qualified as replacements for other nations. PSSI Technical Director alexander Zwiers has set a target of reaching the quarter-finals of the U-20 Asian Cup, but Arianto aims higher, hoping to guide his team to a top-eight finish.
“The hope is that at the next level, hopefully he (Nova) can take his children to the U-20 Asian Cup and become the top 8 best team,” Zwiers stated.Arianto acknowledges the challenge, stating, “Certainly the target has been given by the Director of Technology and PSSI, how do we hope to qualify for the Asian Cup (U-20) and then the World Cup (U-20). It’s not an easy job,I’m still vrey new and don’t know some of the players.”
Arianto has six months to prepare the team, drawing inspiration from the recent success of the U-17 National Team. Indonesia’s closest previous attempt at World Cup qualification came at the 2018 U-19 Asian Cup, where they lost 0-2 to Japan in the quarter-finals while serving as hosts.
(mro/raw)