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Indonesia’s top football league has reached a historic milestone ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

For the very first time, the domestic competition will have an active player included in a national squad participating in the world’s most prestigious football tournament.

Persib Bandung defender Frans Putros has officially received a call-up from the Iraq national team to compete in the 2026 World Cup.

The confirmation came after Iraq’s head coach, Graham Arnold, listed Putros among the 26 players who will travel to the tournament’s final stage.

Putros’ inclusion in Iraq’s World Cup squad is a source of pride for the Indonesian League, as he remains an active player competing in Liga 1 with Persib Bandung.

At the 2026 World Cup, Iraq faces a tough challenge right from the group stage.

The team, nicknamed the Lions of Mesopotamia, has been drawn in Group I alongside three strong opponents — Norway, France, and Senegal.

Iraq is scheduled to begin its campaign against Norway on 17 June 2026.

Persib Bandung Gains Unexpected Financial Windfall

Frans Putros will become the first active Indonesian League player ever to participate in a World Cup.

This achievement brings pride not only to Putros himself but also to Persib Bandung supporters and Indonesian football fans at large.

In addition, Persib Bandung is reportedly set to receive a significant financial benefit from Putros’ participation in the 2026 World Cup.

This is due to FIFA’s continuation of the financial assistance scheme known as the Club Benefit Programme.

The programme aims to provide compensation to clubs that release their players to represent their countries in the World Cup.

Starting with the 2026 edition, the programme has been expanded to include clubs that released players even during the qualification stages.

The total allocation for the 2026 World Cup Club Benefit Programme is valued at 355 million US dollars (approximately 6 trillion rupiah).

Indonesian League and the World Cup Connection

In fact, several foreign players who once featured in the Indonesian League have World Cup experience.

However, most of them earned that distinction while still playing for their previous clubs before joining Indonesian teams.

According to Kompas.com, several world-class players who previously featured in the World Cup include Mario Kempes, Pierre Njanka, Michael Essien, Roger Milla, Didier Zokora, and Ivan Bonsjak.

After joining Indonesian clubs, these players were no longer active with their national teams and did not return to play in the World Cup.

So far, the last foreign player with recent international exposure before Putros was Shane Smeltz, who played for Borneo FC during the 2017–2018 season.

Smeltz received a call-up from the New Zealand national team to participate in the 2017 Confederations Cup held in Russia.

There was also Gervane Kastaneer, who represented Persis Solo during the first half of the 2025–2026 Super League season.

However, Kastaneer was officially registered as a Terengganu FC player when he was called up by the Curaçao national team for the 2026 World Cup.