When John Herdman talks about football, he rarely limits the conversation to tactics or trophies. For him, the game is about people, emotion and momentum — and that’s exactly what has drawn the Englishman to his latest challenge with Indonesia.

This July and August, Herdman will lead the nation into the ASEAN Hyundai Cup for the first time, stepping into what many consider the beating heart of Southeast Asian football. It’s a tournament steeped in rivalry, noise and national pride — and Herdman can’t wait to feel it firsthand.

“I’m really excited about the Hyundai Cup,” he says. “Having lived the Gold Cup in CONCACAF, this competition just has a different feel. The hunger from the players, the connection with the fans — it’s powerful.”

Group A will see Indonesia go toe-to-toe with defending champions Vietnam, four-time winners Singapore, Cambodia, and either Timor-Leste or Brunei. For Herdman, it’s the perfect introduction to a football culture he’s heard described as “intense doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

“Apparently the rivalries here are on steroids,” he laughs. “Coming from Newcastle, all I can compare it to is the Sunderland–Newcastle derby — and even that might not do it justice.”

Indonesia has finished runners-up six times since the tournament’s launch in 1996, a statistic that hangs heavily over a fan base desperate for a breakthrough. Herdman will quickly experience that passion at home when Indonesia face Cambodia on July 31, before a packed schedule that includes clashes with Vietnam and Singapore. Only the top two teams will progress to the semi-finals, leaving little room for error.

This year’s Hyundai Cup also marks its 30th anniversary, fitting neatly into what is shaping up to be a relentless — and revealing — calendar for Herdman and his squad. Friendly tournaments, the Asian Games in Japan, and preparations for the AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia are all part of a broader rhythm he believes modern international football demands.

“There’s no rest for any country now,” he says. “But that’s a good thing. It means progression. In the past, you might miss windows because you couldn’t afford games or find the right opponents. Now, everything is building.”

Herdman knows a thing or two about long-term projects. His résumé includes Olympic bronze medals with Canada’s women’s team and ending a 36-year World Cup drought by guiding the men to Qatar 2022 — achievements that caught the attention of Indonesia’s football leadership.

That journey ultimately led him to Jakarta in January, backed by Erick Thohir, president of the national football association and former owner of Inter Milan.

“Projects are important,” Herdman says. “Not just winning, but building something that ignites passion. Those memories you create — you can’t put a price on them.”

For him, Indonesia represents something even bigger: scale, belief and possibility. “To think about impacting a country of 280 million people through football — that’s special. That’s a gift.”

With a growing talent pool, an ambitious federation and one of the most passionate fan bases in world football, Herdman believes the conditions are right — even if expectations must be earned.

“That passion can be a gift and a curse,” he admits. “There’s expectation, but we haven’t earned the right to fully carry it yet. What we’re trying to do is build belief first, then respect, and eventually real expectation.”

The ultimate mission is clear: World Cup qualification over the next four years. The Hyundai Cup, though, is the first real chapter — a proving ground where depth will be tested, young players may emerge, and a national identity can begin to take shape.

“I love transformational leadership,” Herdman says. “Taking an underdog somewhere it’s never been before. That’s why I’m here.”

And in Southeast Asia’s most electric football cauldron, he’s about to find out just how powerful belief — and noise — can be.