November 26, 2025 | 10:27 am
The Indonesian women's national team will face Nepal in a friendly match as part of their preparations for the 2025 SEA Games on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. The match, held in conjunction with FIFA Match Day, will take place at Maguwoharjo Stadium, Sleman, Yogyakarta, starting at 19:30 WIB (Western Indonesian Time) and can be viewed live on Vidio.
Coach of the Indonesian women's national team, Akira Higashiyama, stated that his team had undergone almost two months of training ahead of the friendly matches against Nepal and Taiwan, scheduled for Saturday, November 29 at the same venue. He expressed his team's enthusiasm.
"We are very excited to play actual matches. And of course, we have to win," Akira said in a press conference prior to the match, on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, as quoted from Antara.
Indonesian women's national team player, Gea Yumanda, said she and her teammates are very excited for the match against Nepal. "We are ready," she said.
"It's not easy for us, but I believe in my team, everyone is ready, so I hope for the best for the team tomorrow," added Gea.
Nepal is ranked 89th in the FIFA women's football rankings, placing them above Indonesia which is at 106th in the world.
Akira Higashiyama. Dok. PSSI
Akira stated that his team is not afraid to face Nepal, who have a better ranking and talented players. With the preparations his players have undergone, he is confident that his squad will be able to defeat Nepal, currently coached by Nabin Neupane.
"Nevertheless, the most important thing is what we can do. And how our preparations are for tomorrow. So, we just have to show our best tomorrow," said the Japanese coach.
When asked about his team, mostly consisting of players who do not regularly play for clubs due to the absence of a professional women's league in Indonesia, Akira stated that it is a big challenge for him as a coach. However, he ensures that he does not want to use it as an excuse. He emphasized that victory can be achieved if the players work hard on the field.
"A rather difficult question for me. Yes, it is clear that we do not have a professional women's league at the moment. But we don't want to make that an excuse on the field," said Akira, who previously led the Indonesian women's U-19 national team to third place in the 2025 AFF Women's U-19 Championship.
"The important thing is for the players to work hard on the field, and show 100 percent. During our training camp, I have conveyed that we must always play at 100 percent. So, I believe they will show 100 percent tomorrow," he said.
For these two matches, Akira has called up 36 players who he will later trim down to form the final squad for the 2025 SEA Games. Among the called up players, there are several players from abroad, such as Iris de Rouw (St. John's University), Felicia de Zeuw (ADO Den Haag), Claudia Scheunemann (FC Utrecht), Isa Warps (VFR Weyerbyen), and Estella Loupatty (Women Torres Calcio).
The matches against Nepal and Taiwan serve as a test to mature the Indonesian women's national team's preparations for competition in the 2025 SEA Games. In the multi-event championship held in Thailand, Garuda Pertiwi is placed in Group A with Cambodia, Singapore, and host nation Thailand. The opening match is scheduled for December 4 against Thailand at the IPE Chonburi Stadium.
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