Indonesia Still Waiting for Luke Vickery and Mitchell Baker Ahead of FIFA Matchday

Indonesia will not yet be able to field naturalization candidates Luke Vickery and Mitchell Baker during the upcoming FIFA Matchday in June 2026. Both players are expected to miss the national team's matches against Oman and Mozambique at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta due to unfinished citizenship procedures.

The latest update regarding their status was delivered by Noor Korompot, Special Staff to the Minister of Law. Although the two players are not eligible to play at this stage, they are reportedly planning to attend the matches in person to support the Indonesian squad from the stands while waiting for the completion of their naturalization process.

At the moment, the remaining obstacles are related to administrative and legislative procedures. Their applications still require approval from the Indonesian parliament before they can officially take the citizenship oath. Once those steps are completed, both players will be eligible to represent Indonesia internationally.

The Indonesian football federation remains optimistic that the process will be finalized before the start of the 2026 AFF Cup. The naturalization program is considered part of the first major squad-building phase under new national team coach John Herdman, who is expected to strengthen the team with several overseas-based players of Indonesian descent.

Mitchell Baker has drawn particular attention thanks to his impressive performances in college football in the United States. The young striker, born in Melbourne in 2006, has Indonesian roots through his mother's family from Semarang and Yogyakarta. Baker previously gained recognition after being selected by Colorado Rapids in the MLS SuperDraft and currently plays for Georgetown University, where he has produced strong attacking numbers over the past two seasons with goals and assists consistently contributing to his team's success.