Baker brothers at a crossroads: Joshua named in Hong Kong's preliminary squad for ASEAN Cup 2026

On September 9, 2026, the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) named 48 players in its preliminary squad for the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026. Among them is Joshua Baker, a 16-year-old attacking midfielder whose career is just beginning. What makes his name stand out is family history: Joshua is the younger brother of Mitchell Baker, the striker who now represents Indonesia.

The HKFA said the list was prepared for the national team period from September to October 2026. Joshua appears with familiar Hong Kong names, including defenders Leung Wai Fung Derek, Yue Tze Nam, Christian Alexander Jojo, Nicholas Benavides, Oliver Gerbig, Callum Thomas Beattie and Jay Haddow, as well as goalkeepers Yip Ka Yu, Pong Cheuk Hei, Shek Tuscany, Poon Sheung Hei and Tse Ka Wing.

Joshua was born and raised in Hong Kong, holds a Hong Kong passport and has already played for Hong Kong's U20 team in qualifying for the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup. But because of his Indonesian and Australian roots, he could still choose another national team if FIFA eligibility rules allow it. That is why the HKFA's decision to include him now feels like more than just a coaching choice.

From more than a decade of watching football in Asia, I have learned that preliminary squads often say more than they appear to say. A federation does not call a 16-year-old into the senior national team simply to sit on the bench. They call him because they want him to see the shirt, feel the environment and understand that he belongs. They call him because they know that, at this age, the feeling of belonging can be stronger than any contract.

A small football federation cannot always keep players with money. They keep them with a sense of belonging.

Hong Kong football has seen talented young players leave for other national teams before. The battle for a dual-nationality player does not happen only on the pitch. It happens in corridors, in phone calls from scouts and in quiet conversations with family members. Joshua Baker is exactly the kind of player a federation wants to keep: young, technical, local and already holding the right passport.

The HKFA appears to understand this. Putting Joshua in the 48-man list is Hong Kong's way of telling him that he is seen, valued and expected. At 16, he may not be ready to play in the ASEAN Cup 2026. But training with the senior team and experiencing international football can create a powerful memory. Once a player feels he belongs to a place, he thinks much longer before choosing another one.

The Baker brothers now reflect a wider shift in Southeast and East Asian football. Mitchell Baker chose Indonesia, a national team growing stronger through a diaspora recruitment policy. Joshua Baker, if he stays with Hong Kong, will follow a different path. Two brothers from the same family could end up on opposite sides of the same regional tournament. This is not rare in modern football, but it still forces people to stop and think about how countries are competing for talent.

Indonesia fans can be proud that Mitchell chose the red and white shirt. But Joshua's story contains an uncomfortable warning: Indonesian football cannot simply wait for players of Indonesian descent to grow up abroad and then invite them home. They need to track every young player, every small piece of the puzzle, before another federation puts that player on a national team list.

The contrarian angle here is that Joshua's presence in Hong Kong's squad does not prove Hong Kong has found a perfect gem. It reveals the anxiety of a football nation that has lost too many prospects to global choices. The HKFA did not call Joshua because the team needs him next week. They called him because they fear that three years from now he may no longer be theirs. This list is an early embrace, and in football, an early embrace can be worth more than a transfer contract.

Joshua Baker's future remains open in many directions. If he plays an official senior match for Hong Kong during the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, his story will enter a chapter that would be very hard to rewrite. At that point, Mitchell and Joshua might speak about each other as rivals wearing different shirts instead of brothers sharing the same colour.

Football is beautiful because it leaves stories unfinished. Today, Joshua Baker is only a name on a list. Tomorrow, he could be the answer to a talent puzzle that many federations are trying to solve. The ball rolls across generations, but the heartbeat of fans never changes. We can only wait, watch and let the silence of the future speak.