Indonesia, under the banner of the Dutch colonial, had participated in the world's greatest football performance, the 1938 World Cup in France. The delivery of the Dutch East Indies team was conducted by the NIVU (Nederlandsche Indische Voetbal Unie) or the Dutch East Indies Football Organization.
Handled by trainer Johannes van Mastenbroek, the Dutch East Indies players are those who work in Dutch companies. The composition of his players is a combination of Dutch citizens, Chinese and Indonesians themselves including Mo Heng Tan (goalkeeper), Achmad Nawir (captain), Hong Djien Tan, Frans Meeng, Tjaak Pattiwael, Hans Taihuttu, Suvarte Soedarmadji, Anwar Sutan, Henk Sommers , Frans Hukon and Jack Samuels, while on the bench were J. Harting (goalkeeper), Mo Heng Bing, Dorst, Teilherber, G. Faulhaber, R. Telwe, See Han Tan, and G. Van den Burgh.
The Dutch East Indies team went aboard MS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt from Tanjung Priok, Batavia, on 18 March 1938 to the Netherlands. Three months later they arrived at the port of Rotterdam. In the Netherlands, they performed several trials including winning against the Haarlem club with a score of 5-3. They finally went to France by train to follow the 1938 World Cup.
In the opening match of the 1938 World Cup held at the Velodrome Municipal, Reims, France on 5 June 1938, the Dutch East Indies team had to swallow defeat from Hungary. Hungary, who was then a leading team, managed to excel with a score of 6-0. The knockout system applied since the initial phase, made the Dutch East Indies team step in the 1938 World Cup must stop at that moment.
Although the Dutch East Indies is now free and renamed Indonesia, FIFA considers Indonesia to be a continuation of the Dutch East Indies. Therefore Indonesia is listed as the first Asian country, and so far the only Southeast Asian country ever to participate in the World Cup.