THROUGH the sleepless nights and the sleepy morning, we can all feel the heat of the World Cup season!
There is no denying the burning passion for football (not soccer) in Southeast Asia.
From the 'friendly' banter on social media to the numerous football tournaments, it would not make sense if none of the nations had qualified for the World Cup before, right?
Right?
Verdict:
FALSE, BUT...
Unfortunately, none of our Asean brothers-in-arms had managed to qualify for the most-watched sporting event on the planet just yet.
Although countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and even Singapore have a fairly strong team, for the region, as of 2026, the dream remains unfulfilled.
Well, technically at least.
Back in the colonial era, at the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France, Indonesia competed under the name Dutch East Indies, as the country was still under Dutch colonial rule at the time.
The Dutch East Indies became the first (and only) Southeast Asian team to play at the World Cup.
Unlike modern editions, the 1938 World Cup featured only 16 teams and used a straight knockout format from the first round.
The Dutch East Indies were defeated by Hungary 6-0, which would go on to reach the World Cup Final and finish as runners-up.
The team, however, were represented by several heritage players in the tournament, such as Tijjani Reijnders (Netherlands-Indonesia), David Alaba (Austria-Philippines), Ibrahim Maza (Algeria-Vietnam), and Nishan Velupillay (Australia-Malaysia).
For the uninitiated, heritage players are players with roots in Southeast Asian nations who play for different global national teams.
While we are at it, another fact worth noting is that in the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup tournament, there are five Asean-based players who are playing in the tournament.
They are Frans Putros of Persib Bandung (Iraq), Mohammad Abualnadi, formerly of Selangor FC (Jordan), Noor Al-Rawabdeh of Selangor FC (Jordan), Rebin Sulaka of Port FC (Iraq) and Gervane Kastaneer of Terengganu FC (Curaçao).
I mean, that has to count for something, right? Go Asean!
Sources:
1. https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/5-asean-based-player-at-the-world-cup
