Indonesia U-20 National Team Selection Update by Nova Arianto: From Guinean-Descent Players to Young Talents from Liga Nusantara.
Promising young talents, considered the future of the Indonesia U-20 national team, are currently being gathered by coach Nova Arianto. These prospects will showcase their abilities at the Indonesia U-20 National Team Talent ID Camp, scheduled to take place at the Garudayaksa Football Academy in Bekasi from December 2-10, 2025.
Several clubs have already announced the players called up for this crucial selection process. A comprehensive list of these players, curated for this talent identification drive, will be provided at the end of this article.
Super League club Persis Solo has released two promising players, Abraham Pangkali and Farel Amedio Nesta, for the Indonesia U-20 national team selection. Adding an international dimension, Borneo FC is also contributing talent, specifically Camara Ousmane Maiket, a player of Guinean descent.
The 18-year-old midfielder is not an unfamiliar face, having previously been part of the U-20 squad under former coach Indra Sjafri last year. However, Camara did not make the final cut for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025 squad. Ousmane is the son of Aboubakar Camara, a notable former player for Persiwa Wamena and Perseru Serui, adding a distinguished lineage to his call-up. In addition, PSM Makassar has sent three of its promising players: Fatihul Alif, Poetro Negoro, and Muhammad Fahrul.
Beyond the established Super League and Championship clubs, Coach Nova Arianto is casting a wide net, including young talents from Liga Nusantara (formerly Liga 3), Indonesia’s third-tier league. Among these selections are M. Rafa Raditya Abdurrahman from Pekanbaru FC and Abiyyu Barikli from Nusantara Lampung FC, highlighting the coach’s commitment to finding untapped potential across all tiers of Indonesian football.
Arianto himself admitted that he plans to conduct an initial selection process to form the U-20 national team, acknowledging his relative unfamiliarity with many of the players. “Our immediate schedule will certainly involve another player selection, as I am still very new to the U-20 national team players,” Nova Arianto stated during a PSSI press conference on Friday, November 21, 2025. He elaborated on his criteria: “We are looking for players who can play according to the philosophy I have developed for the qualification preparations.” Arianto also confirmed the high stakes involved, adding, “Certainly, the targets have been set by the Technical Director and PSSI: we hope to qualify for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup and subsequently the FIFA U-20 World Cup.” Coach Nova Arianto candidly acknowledged that taking on the role of Indonesia U-20 national team coach is a challenging task.
He affirmed his commitment to starting the process as early as possible to scout potential players, not only from the U-17 national team he previously coached but also from a broader pool. “Indeed, it’s not an easy job; I’m still very new and haven’t gotten to know many of the players yet,” Nova remarked, emphasizing the scope of the challenge. “However, I still have six months to carry out the preparations, and I hope these preparations can yield results similar to those achieved with the U-17 National Team. That is our primary focus.” He concluded by outlining the next steps: “After this, we will immediately present a roadmap to PSSI, and hopefully, we can conduct our preparations well, allowing us to achieve our targets.”
Temporary List of Called-Up Players for the Indonesia U-20 National Team Selection:
- Reno Salampessy (Persipura Jayapura)
- Muhammad Isfandar (Persiba Balikpapan)
- Fabio Royyan (Persiba Balikpapan)
- Rafli Juniar (Deltras FC)
- Farhan Al Akbar (Persita U-20)
- M. Rafa Raditya Abdurrahman (Pekanbaru FC)
- Malik Aqmar Kusuma Winata (Persib U-20)
- Kevin Muhammad Islami Pasha (Persib U-20)
- Eriko Sulastiano (Persib U-20)
- Hasyir Khalif Ar Rasyid (Persib U-20)
- Muhammad Azrial Aksa (Persib U-20)
- Camara Ousmane Maiket (Borneo FC)
- Daffa Dirna Nesta (Borneo FC)
- Muhammad Ilham Al Arif (Persebaya)
- Aleandro Alan M. (Persebaya)
- Ahmad Mujtaba Ilham (Persebaya)
- Ichlas Baihaqi (Persebaya)
- Dimas Bagus (Persebaya)
- Abraham Pangkali (Persis U-20)
- Farel Amedio Nesta (Persis U-20)
- Abiyyu Barikli (Nusantara Lampung FC)
- Poetro Negoro (PSM Makassar)
- Fatihul Alif (PSM Makassar)
- Muhammad Fahrul (PSM Makassar)
- Hendri Adi Sulistiono (PSS Sleman)
Summary
Coach Nova Arianto is leading a Talent ID Camp from December 2-10, 2025, in Bekasi to select players for the Indonesia U-20 national team. This selection process gathers promising talents from various sources, including Super League clubs like Persis Solo, Borneo FC (featuring Camara Ousmane Maiket of Guinean descent), and PSM Makassar. The coach is also scouting young players from the lower-tier Liga Nusantara to ensure a comprehensive talent pool.
Arianto acknowledged his unfamiliarity with many U-20 players and plans an extensive selection to find those who align with his team philosophy. His primary goals are to qualify for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup and subsequently the FIFA U-20 World Cup, recognizing this as a challenging role. Despite the difficulty, he is committed to early and thorough preparations over the next six months to achieve these significant targets.