Piala Presiden 2025 experiences drastic decline in participants

Piala Presiden has experienced a significant decline in participants — only six teams will compete in the 2025 edition, far fewer than eight teams last year and 20 teams in the 2019 edition.

PSSI has implemented stricter criteria for club participation — defending champions Arema FC, Liga 1 champions Persib Bandung, and runners-up Dewa United are the main teams that qualified.

In the previous edition, the criteria included:

• Defending champion
• Four Liga 1 clubs participating in AFC/AFF tournaments
• Three additional clubs (Persis Solo, Persija Jakarta, Bali United)

Given this declining trend, there are suggestions to transform the tournament into Piala Super Indonesia — a solution deemed more suitable for current conditions.