Indonesian League Falls Behind as Cambodia Overtakes in Asian Rankings
Indonesian football faced another setback as Liga 1 dropped out of the top 10 East Asian leagues, officially being overtaken by Cambodia’s domestic competition. This decline followed Madura United’s elimination in the AFC Challenge League semifinals, losing to Cambodia’s SvayRieng. The result added to the poor performance of Persib Bandung, which failed to progress past the group stage. These results reflect a consistent underachievement of Indonesian clubs in continental competitions over the past five years.
The latest rankings from Footy Ranking confirmed that Liga 1 now sits at 11th place in East Asia with a total of 18,653 points. This slip means that Indonesian clubs will no longer earn automatic qualification to any tier of Asian club competitions. Instead, they must now compete through play-off rounds, a significant step back considering the previous season granted them direct slots. This ranking drop further distances Indonesia from the top-level competitions and highlights the challenges facing the domestic league.
The regression in league performance contradicts the ambitions laid out by PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir, who aims to elevate Liga 1 to the second-best league in ASEAN and reach the top 12 in Asia. With only six matchweeks left in the current season, the title race remains open, with Persib Bandung and Dewa United vying for continental spots. However, whoever qualifies will still need to begin their journey in Asian competitions from the play-off stages, underlining the league's ongoing struggle for international relevance.
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