Indonesia faces a major crisis: World Cup 2026 dreams could be shattered.

The Indonesian national team has suffered a major setback: Ole Romeny has broken a bone in his foot and is unlikely to participate in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region.

The draw for the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region has placed the Indonesian national team in a "group of death".

The sole representative of Southeast Asian football is in Group B along with Iraq and host nation Saudi Arabia – two groups, playing a single round-robin format at a fixed location; Group B matches are held in Qatar; the top team qualifies for the 2026 World Cup; the two second-placed teams will face each other in Round 5 (two legs) to compete for an international play-off spot.

Coach Kluivert has many concerns after being drawn into the "group of death". Photo: Kompas

Indonesia just earned 4 points in their two matches against Saudi Arabia in the third stage. However, the upcoming battle will be very different.

Meanwhile, Iraq has won eight consecutive matches against Indonesia, since their first defeat in 1973.

Most recently, Iraq secured two victories against Indonesia in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers (2-0 and 5-1), sandwiched between a 3-1 win in the 2023 Asian Cup finals.

Not only is it a "group of death," Indonesia has also lost its most important striker under Patrick Kluivert, Ole Romeny.

The Oxford United player has just suffered a fractured foot and is unlikely to recover in time for the matches in Saudi Arabia, which will take place in the second week of October.

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Romeny clutches his face after suffering a serious injury. Photo: Kompas

Ole Romeny has scored 3 goals in 4 appearances for Indonesia since completing his naturalization – accounting for one-third of "Garuda's" total goals in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Following the draw, Kluivert admitted it would be difficult for Romeny to recover in time to play for the Indonesian national team.

Even after recovering from injury, he will need time to regain his best form.

"Yes, this is really difficult because Ole has a fracture in the middle of his foot," Kluivert shared with Indonesian media on July 17.

The Dutch coach said: “It’s very difficult for Ole to recover in time to participate in round 4. This is certainly a big loss for the Indonesian national team, everyone knows that.”

However, Indonesia must keep moving forward. We have other forwards who are all ready to play.”

Romeny not only scores goals but is also crucial to the team's overall play. Photo: Kompas

Romeny suffered an injury while playing for Oxford United in a match against Arema FC on July 8th.

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According to Indonesian media, the 25-year-old striker suffered an injury after a dangerous tackle by Paulinho Moccelin. He left the field on a stretcher before it was determined that he had fractured his foot.

On July 17th, the same day the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held the draw for the fourth round, Romeny also underwent surgery. He is hoping for a miracle so he can return to the pitch as soon as possible and continue his World Cup dream with Indonesia.

If Romeny is unable to move to Saudi Arabia, Kluivert will only have Rafael Struick – the Dutch striker who has scored 1 goal in 26 matches.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/indonesia-gap-hoa-lon-nguy-co-vo-mong-world-cup-2026-2423163.html