Indonesia dreams of a ticket to the 2026 World Cup

The draw for the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia yesterday, July 17, put Indonesia in the same group with two strong opponents, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. However, the Southeast Asian representative is still determined to win a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

What does the Indonesian press say?

According to Indonesian press, the archipelago nation is in a very tough group B with Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Saudi Arabia has the home advantage, while Iraq is the team that won both matches against them in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. In the remaining group (group A) there are 3 teams: Qatar (host), UAE and Oman.

In the fourth qualifying round (from October 8 to 14), only the top team in each group will win the remaining two direct tickets from Asia to the 2026 World Cup. The six teams that have already secured tickets include Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea and Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, the two runners-up will play two play-off matches on November 13 and 18, with the winning team advancing to the intercontinental play-off round (6 teams) to compete for two play-off tickets in March 2026.

Can the Indonesian team make a difference in the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup?

Photo: Reuters

In the 4th qualifying round, each group of 3 teams will play only one match, so all matches will be considered as finals. The Indonesian team will play their first match against Saudi Arabia on October 8, then against Iraq on October 11.

Coach Kluivert and his team must win both of these matches to secure a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. This is a huge challenge and also an opportunity for the team from the archipelago to make history as they have the largest number of naturalized players in Southeast Asia. In addition, Indonesia also hopes to finish second in the group to enter the adventure in the continental and intercontinental play-offs, but the probability of winning a ticket is extremely low because they will meet many strong teams in South America, Africa and CONCACAF...

In the third qualifying round, the Indonesian team caused a shock when they drew 1-1 away against Saudi Arabia and won 2-0 at home. But against their opponent Iraq, they were at a disadvantage when they lost 1-5 and 0-2.

However, the Indonesian team under coach Kluivert has made many changes in personnel, continuing to naturalize more quality stars to prepare for the 4th qualifying round and determined to win a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. One of Indonesia's biggest concerns right now is that No. 1 striker Ole Romeny (of Dutch origin) is injured. However, Indonesia has just completed the naturalization of striker Mauro Zijlstra (20 years old, 1.88 m tall) to prepare and be ready to replace if necessary.

Indonesian press and fans also wholeheartedly supported their home team after the results of the fourth qualifying round draw. They said that the team of thousands of islands had won against Saudi Arabia, had more experience when meeting Iraq again, so they were very confident that their home team would achieve their dream of winning a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/indonesia-mo-ve-du-world-cup-2026-185250717183619072.htm