Indonesia holds a very strong opponent to a draw at the World Cup

The Indonesia U17 squad successfully managed a 0-0 draw with Ivory Coast during a friendly before the 2025 U17 World Cup

Indonesia’s U17 team played to a 0-0 draw against Ivory Coast in a friendly held in Dubai. This was their second friendly match in the Middle East, following their narrow 1-2 defeat against Paraguay.

Under the guidance of coach Nova Arianto, the Indonesia U17 team showed great effort and solid defensive organization, although they were still unable to breach the opponent’s goal. The young Indonesian players’ attacks repeatedly challenged the Ivory Coast defense, but the opponent’s focus and discipline limited clear scoring chances for Indonesia.

In the previous match, the Southeast Asian representatives took the lead against Paraguay thanks to a goal by Fadly Alberto Hengga, but the South American team’s strength was confirmed with two goals from Jose Buhring and Mauricio De Carvalho, sealing a 2-1 comeback victory.

These friendly matches are seen as crucial opportunities for Indonesia U17 to refine tactics and build mental resilience before the 2025 U17 World Cup, which will be held in Qatar from November 3 to 27. Notably, both Paraguay and Ivory Coast will participate in the prestigious upcoming youth tournament. Therefore, competing against such strong teams offers Indonesia U17 valuable experience aimed at achieving the best possible results in the forthcoming competition.

Coach Nova Arianto’s squad still has one final test match against Panama U17, scheduled for October 30, 2025.

In the group stage of the 2025 U17 World Cup, Indonesia U17 is placed in Group H alongside Brazil, Honduras, and Zambia. The Southeast Asian team will start their campaign against Zambia on November 4, then face Brazil on November 7, and conclude the group stage with a match against Honduras on November 10.

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