Indonesia's Football Association (PSSI) officially appointed John Herdman as head coach of the national team on January 3, 2026, replacing Patrick Kluivert with a 2+2 year contract running through at least 2027 with an option to extend until 2030.
The 50-year-old English coach, who guided Canada to the 2022 World Cup and became the first coach to lead both a nation's men's and women's teams to FIFA World Cups, will oversee both Indonesia's senior and U-23 squads with a reported monthly salary of $40,000.
Herdman chose Indonesia over competing offers from Honduras and Jamaica, citing the long-term nature of the project and his vision to develop the team after they fell short of 2026 World Cup qualification, currently ranked 122nd globally and 23rd in Asian Football Federation.
The appointment comes after Indonesia's aggressive naturalization program helped them reach the fourth round of World Cup qualifying, with PSSI setting a target of reaching the quarter-finals at the 2027 Asian Cup as the primary benchmark for evaluating Herdman's performance.
Herdman emphasized seeing similar potential in Indonesia as he did with Canada, noting the country's large talent pool combining local players and dual-nationals, and stressed the importance of understanding Indonesian culture and customs to create meaningful connections with the team.
