The 2026 Soeratin Cup (Piala Soeratin) will bring a new level of youth football competition to Papua after Jayapura was selected to host the East Indonesia Zone of this year’s Soeratin Cup.
The regional stage is expected to bring 24 teams from Papua, Maluku, North Maluku, and parts of Sulawesi to Jayapura. With around 30 players, officials, and other members attached to each team, the tournament could bring nearly 800 people to Papua, turning the competition into more than a sporting event. It will also test the city’s ability to manage regional sporting events, strengthen youth development, and provide a larger stage for young footballers from eastern Indonesia.
The decision was announced by Acting Chairman of Indonesia’s Football Association (PSSI) Papua Arya Sinulingga during the closing ceremony of the Papua Soeratin Cup for U-13, U-15, and U-17 competitions at Barnabas Youwe Stadium in Sentani, Jayapura Regency, on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
According to Arya, the decision followed discussions with PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir and reflects a new format for the 2026 competition. Instead of concentrating the national stage in Java, PSSI has designed a regional structure involving four zones before the competition moves towards the national championship stage.
For Papua, the change carries particular significance. It means young players who previously might have had limited opportunities to compete outside their province can now face teams from across eastern Indonesia on their own regional stage.
More importantly, the tournament could become a practical testing ground for players who dream of wearing the red and white jersey of Indonesia.
PSSI Changes the Route to the National Stage
For years, the national stages of the Soeratin Cup were largely associated with football centers in Jawa (Java). The 2026 format changes that geography.
Arya explained that PSSI has divided the competition into four regional areas. The winners from those zones will then continue their pursuit of the national title.
For the eastern zone, Jayapura was chosen as the central venue.
“Usually the national stage of the Soeratin Cup is held far away in Java. Now we have designed it into four regions. For the East Indonesia Zone, Pak Erick Thohir asked that the matches be centered in Jayapura,” Arya said, according to the reports published by Papuapos Nabire and Pasific Pos.
The decision effectively places Papua at the center of a competition involving some of the strongest youth teams from Indonesia’s eastern provinces.
The participating areas are expected to include Papua, Maluku, North Maluku, and parts of Sulawesi. The zone will consist of 24 clubs, creating a sizeable regional tournament that will require careful coordination between football authorities, local government, venue managers, and security personnel.
The geographical spread is important. Eastern Indonesia has historically produced footballers with distinctive technical and physical qualities, while Papua has developed a particularly strong reputation for producing talented players.
The challenge now is to turn that talent into a consistent development pathway.
Jayapura Prepares for 24 Teams
Hosting a tournament of this size requires more than a football pitch.
PSSI Papua is preparing at least six fields to accommodate the competition. The organization is also working on arrangements related to security and the comfort of visiting teams.
The estimated arrival of almost 800 people gives the event a wider dimension for Jayapura.
Players and coaches will require accommodation, transportation, and food. Supporters and team officials will also use local services. That creates opportunities for hotels, restaurants, transport providers, small businesses, and other sectors connected to the local visitor economy.
At the same time, the scale of the tournament means that organization and security will be closely watched.
Arya emphasized that the safety and comfort of all visiting contingents must be maintained.
“Total, there are 24 teams. If we calculate 30 people per team, almost 800 people will come to Papua. We must protect security and comfort,” he said.
For Jayapura, therefore, the tournament becomes both an opportunity and a responsibility.
A successful event could strengthen the city’s position as a venue for national and regional sporting competitions. It could also demonstrate how sport can create interaction between young people from different parts of Indonesia.
Government Support Gives the Tournament a Wider Role
The decision to host the East Indonesia Zone has received support from the Papua provincial government.
Arya said he first sought permission from the governor of Papua before announcing the plan publicly. The governor, he said, responded positively and committed full support for Jayapura’s role as host of the East Zone.
That government involvement is important because the success of a regional sporting event depends on cooperation beyond football authorities.
Transport, public facilities, health services, security, accommodation, and local administration all become part of the event’s operational environment.
The tournament therefore offers an opportunity to demonstrate practical cooperation between PSSI, the provincial government, and local communities.
For Papua, the tournament is particularly relevant as the province continues to use sport as part of youth development and social engagement.
Football can provide young people with a structured environment where discipline, teamwork, and competition are developed alongside athletic ability.
From Local Competitions to the Indonesia National Team
The most significant question is what happens after the final whistle.
For Papua’s football community, the value of the Soeratin Cup cannot be measured only by the number of matches played or trophies won. Its longer-term value lies in whether talented young players receive opportunities to continue developing.
Arya challenged Papua’s provincial champions not merely to participate in the East Zone but to compete for the regional title.
He also encouraged coaches to strengthen their squads by identifying promising players from other football schools, or SSBs, across Papua.
That approach could widen the talent pool.
Instead of relying solely on players already established within a particular club, coaches can search for promising youngsters from football schools and local competitions.
The system also creates a more competitive environment. A young player who performs well against strong opponents from Maluku, North Maluku, or Sulawesi gains a different kind of experience from playing only within a local competition.
This is where the Soeratin Cup can become part of a broader national football pathway.
Why Grassroots Development Matters
The Papua provincial government has also stressed that youth football development must continue beyond the tournament.
Representing the Governor of Papua, Governor’s Expert Staff Matias Mano praised the successful implementation of the Papua stage and described youth competition as an important foundation for identifying and developing young football talent.
He urged parents to encourage their children to join football schools where they can receive structured training.
“The more active football schools there are, the better and more competitive the competitions will become,” Matias said.
His message points to an issue that goes beyond one tournament.
Talent does not emerge from competition alone. Players need coaches, facilities, regular matches, education, and an environment that allows them to develop over several years.
For that reason, the expansion of SSBs across Papua could be just as important as the regional tournament itself.
A wider grassroots network provides coaches more opportunities to identify players at an early age. It also provides children in different communities a chance to participate in organized sports.
Coaches and Referees Are Part of the Equation
Matias also called for greater investment in the quality of local coaches and referees.
He asked PSSI to increase regular training programs to improve their competence and quality.
This is an important part of building a sustainable football ecosystem.
Young players cannot develop effectively if coaching standards remain uneven. Likewise, high-quality competitions require referees who understand modern football laws and can manage matches professionally.
The presence of 24 teams in Jayapura will therefore provide an opportunity to expose local football officials to a more demanding competitive environment.
If followed by regular certification, coaching education, and referee development, the benefits could continue long after the tournament has ended.
Papua’s Growing Football Identity
Football has a special place in Papua’s social landscape.
Across the province, young people play in neighborhoods, schools, community fields, and football academies. The rise of organized competitions has created more formal routes from grassroots football to professional clubs and national teams.
Recent development of football academies in Papua has also reinforced the idea that the province can contribute to Indonesia’s national football system.
The Soeratin Cup adds another layer to that pathway.
It does not guarantee that a participant will become a national team player. Selection for Indonesia’s youth or senior national teams depends on performance, development, consistency, coaching assessment, and competition at increasingly higher levels.
But the regional tournament gives players an important opportunity to be seen.
That visibility matters.
A talented teenager from a local SSB may have little chance to attract attention if competitions remain isolated within a small geographical area. A regional event brings scouts, coaches, officials, and stronger opponents into the same environment.
For a footballer, that can change the trajectory of a career.
Sport, Economy, and Social Connection
The expected arrival of hundreds of visitors also gives Jayapura an opportunity to demonstrate the economic value of sport.
Football tournaments can generate demand for accommodation, transportation, food services, retail, and other local businesses. The effect may be temporary, but repeated events can help build a stronger sports tourism ecosystem.
There is also a social dimension.
Teams arriving from Maluku, North Maluku, Sulawesi, and other parts of eastern Indonesia will spend time in Papua not only on football fields but also in hotels, restaurants, and public spaces.
Young athletes who meet one another through sport can develop relationships that continue beyond the tournament.
For a geographically dispersed country such as Indonesia, such interactions have value. Sport provides a neutral space where regional identity and national identity can coexist.
The Soeratin Cup can therefore function as a form of people-to-people connection within Indonesia.
A Chance to Make Papua a Football Talent Center
The most ambitious objective expressed by Papua’s provincial government is to position the province as a center for producing players for the Indonesia national team.
Matias Mano said Papua should not simply succeed as the host but should also produce strong performances on the field.
He called for a stronger ecosystem involving SSBs, coaches, referees, and regular competitions, with the ultimate ambition of making Papua a place capable of producing players for Timnas Indonesia.
That ambition will require patience.
A single tournament cannot transform a football system. What can make a difference is continuity: competitions held regularly, qualified coaches, better facilities, talent identification, player education, and pathways into professional football.
The East Indonesia Zone of the Soeratin Cup can become one important link in that chain.
It is also consistent with the broader development story of Papua, where education, youth empowerment, sport, and economic opportunity increasingly intersect.
Conclusion
Jayapura’s selection as host of the 2026 Soeratin Cup East Indonesia Zone places Papua in an important position within Indonesia’s youth football landscape.
Twenty-four teams, nearly 800 players and officials, multiple venues, and a regional audience will make the tournament a substantial organizational challenge. Yet its significance extends beyond logistics.
For Papua’s young footballers, the competition offers a larger stage. For coaches and referees, it provides an opportunity to raise professional standards. It can generate short-term economic activity for local businesses. For communities, it offers a space where young Indonesians from different eastern provinces can meet through sport.
Most importantly, the tournament could help strengthen a longer-term pathway for Papua’s football talent.
The real measure of success will not simply be which team wins the East Zone. It will be whether the competition helps identify players who continue to develop, receive stronger coaching, and eventually compete at the highest levels of Indonesian football.
If the momentum is maintained, Jayapura could become more than a host city in 2026. It could strengthen its role as one of eastern Indonesia’s important football development centers, while Papua takes another step towards the goal articulated by its provincial leaders: becoming a reliable source of future talent for the Indonesia national team.
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