Second Straight Defeat in Brazil

SÃO JOSÉ DOS PINHAIS — Indonesia's journey at the 2026 Copa das Nações de Futsal came to an end in the group stage. The Garuda squad — the nickname of Indonesia's national teams — suffered a 0-2 defeat to Cape Verde in the decisive Group A match at the Max Rosenmann Arena, São José dos Pinhais, Brazil, on Saturday (17/10/2026) morning Western Indonesian Time.

It was Indonesia's second consecutive defeat at the tournament, following a 0-3 loss to hosts Brazil on Friday (16/10/2026) morning WIB. Two defeats without scoring a single goal made for a bitter record for Hector Souto's team.

The defeat also confirmed Indonesia's failure to advance to the semifinals, with Brazil topping the group and Cape Verde finishing as Group A runners-up.

Two Quick Goals in the Opening Minutes

Indonesia and Cape Verde played with high intensity from the opening minute. But disaster struck quickly for the Red and White squad. In the 6th minute, Cape Verde broke the deadlock through Octavio Ales, putting Indonesia behind.

The goal gave Cape Verde growing confidence. Just a minute later, in the 7th minute, they doubled their lead through Isalas Furtado. The 0-2 scoreline held until halftime.

Until the final whistle, Indonesia were unable to score a reply. The 0-2 score for Cape Verde stood until the end of the match.

Missing Out on the Copa das Nações Semifinals

The result left the final Group A standings unchanged: Brazil firm at the top with 6 points from two wins, followed by Cape Verde with 3 points, while Indonesia sank to the bottom with 0 points.

For comparison, Cape Verde had also lost to Brazil, but by a 2-4 scoreline. The two goals they scored against the Samba team proved the African side were no pushovers — many of their players play in the Portuguese futsal league.

The failure is a valuable lesson for Indonesia, who were appearing in Brazil — one of the world's strongest futsal nations — for the first time.

Lessons for the 2028 Futsal World Cup

Despite the early exit, the 2026 Copa das Nações appearance is an important part of the Indonesian national futsal team's long-term preparations for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2028. The tournament offered a chance to measure themselves against opponents with different styles of play.

Before the match, head coach Hector Souto stressed the need to evaluate the defense and finishing. “Thank God my friends and I have finished the match against Brazil today. There is a lot of experience to take, especially in defending and maximizing opportunities,” said player Samuel Eko after the Brazil game.

The Garuda squad will now be expected to bounce back and turn the painful experience in Brazil into capital for better performances in future tournaments.