Jakarta. Indonesia will face Thailand in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 final on Monday, looking to end a history of penalty-shootout defeats against the regional rivals at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (GBK).

The final, scheduled for 8 p.m. Jakarta time on Oct. 5, gives the Garuda squad an opportunity to claim the tournament title and rewrite a painful chapter in its history against the War Elephants on home soil.

Thailand has beaten Indonesia in two previous finals at GBK, winning both matches on penalties. The defeats came in the 1997 Southeast Asian Games and the 2002 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship.

In the SEA Games final on Oct. 18, 1997, the two teams were tied 1-1 after 120 minutes before Thailand won the penalty shootout 4-2, denying Indonesia the gold medal in front of its home supporters.

A similar result followed five years later in the AFF Championship final on Dec. 29, 2002.

Thailand took a 2-0 lead through goals from Chukiat Noosalung and Therdsak Chaiman, but Indonesia fought back through Yaris Riyadi and Gendut Doni to force extra time after leveling the score at 2-2.

Neither side managed to find a winner, and Thailand again prevailed 4-2 in the penalty shootout to secure the championship.

More than two decades later, the teams will meet at the same venue with another regional title at stake. Indonesia will be hoping to avoid a repeat of those defeats as it pursues the FIFA ASEAN Cup trophy.

Road to the Final
Indonesia booked its place in the final with a commanding 9-2 victory over Bangladesh in its final Group A match on Thursday.

The win gave Indonesia seven points and first place in the group, ahead of Malaysia on goal difference.

Thailand secured its final berth by beating Vietnam 2-0 to finish atop Group B. The Thais subsequently lost 2-1 to the Philippines in their final group match at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Soreang on Friday.

The final will also feature a tactical duel between two English coaches, Indonesia’s John Herdman and Thailand’s Anthony Hudson.

The pair previously faced each other when Herdman coached Canada and Hudson was part of the United States coaching staff.

Herdman said he was looking forward to the encounter, noting that Hudson was familiar with his coaching methods from their previous meetings.

“He knows how I play. He studied Canada when we faced the United States in many matches,” Herdman said on Thursday.

The Indonesian coach described the final as an opportunity for the two managers to test their tactical approaches against each other. “We have an opportunity to chase our first trophy, create history and continue making this country proud.”

Herdman also urged his players to recover before the final, emphasizing that their work was not finished despite securing qualification.

Hudson, meanwhile, has made clear that Thailand's objective is to win the tournament. Before the competition began, he said the level of competition was higher than in previous AFF tournaments because more teams had brought their first-choice players.

“I think the level of this tournament is clearly higher because all the teams have brought their main players. In the previous AFF, we did not bring our main players. We want to win it. That is our target,” Hudson said.

Monday’s final will determine whether Indonesia can break its history of shootout defeats to Thailand at GBK or whether the visitors will add another title to their record at the Jakarta stadium.

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