Indonesia writes new history in World Cup qualifiers

Indonesia officially has a ticket to continue.

Despite having home advantage, Bahrain could not create a surprise against Saudi Arabia. Al Juwayr and Al Oboud shined one after another to help the Gulf representative win 3 points right on the away field.

The situation in Group C, the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, has almost been decided since the 9th match. Japan and Australia will have tickets to the Americas next year. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia will participate in the 4th qualifying round. In theory, Saudi Arabia still has a chance to enter the top 2, but this possibility is very low. In the final match on June 10, Saudi Arabia must beat Australia by 9 goals or more to be able to take the World Cup ticket from the "Socceroos".

Meanwhile, the convincing victory over China helped coach Patrick Kluivert and his team create a milestone in Indonesian football history. The team from the archipelago took 4th place with 12 points, 6 points more than the team in second place.

In the fourth qualifying round, the 6 third and fourth-placed teams in 3 groups (A, B, C) will be divided into 2 groups, playing a round-robin. The top team in each group will get a ticket directly to the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile, the second-placed team in each group will enter the intercontinental play-off round.

Indonesia has reaped the rewards of its almost total naturalization policy. Now, "Tim Garuda" is facing a historic opportunity to participate in the most prestigious tournament on the planet at the national team level.

In contrast to Indonesia's achievements, Chinese football is in disappointment as it has yet to qualify for the World Cup for the second time, despite major investments over the years, including naturalization.