President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has ordered his cabinet ranks to accelerate the completion of Indonesia’s preparations to host the 2023 U-20 World Cup, in particular ensuring the feasibility of the stadiums that will be used to meet FIFA standards.
This was conveyed by President Jokowi in a limited cabinet meeting regarding the development of preparations for the 2023 U-20 World Cup at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Thursday 8th September 2022, according to Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali.
“This becomes a standard, for example, repairing grass and lighting,” said Amali.
There are six stadiums in preparation, namely:
- Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta
- Jakabaring Stadium, Palembang, South Sumatra
- Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Bandung, West Java
- Manahan Stadium, Surakarta, Central Java
- Gelora Stadium Bung Tomo, Surabaya, East Java
- Captain I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar, Bali
According to Amali, these stadiums are ready to be used if the U-20 World Cup were on schedule in 2021 however, FIFA postponed the competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A number of stadiums will now need additional repairs to meet the standards. During the postponement period, some stadiums were used for various other competitions, so maintenance will be necessary.
“The Manahan Stadium, it was already ready, but during the postponement, it was used for two pre-season tournaments, the Menpora Cup and the President’s Cup, then for the 2022-23 league season, and lastly for the ASEAN Para Games yesterday,” said the Amali.
In October, a delegation from FIFA will conduct a follow-up review of the six stadiums that have been prepared. FIFA will decide how many stadiums are suitable for hosting the 2023 U-20 World Cup which is scheduled to take place on 20th May-11th June 2023 and will be attended by 24 participating countries, including Indonesia as the host.
So far, nine countries have qualified for the 2023 U-20 World Cup finals, namely the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, the United States, England, France, Israel, Italy, and Slovakia.