The Indonesian National Team's Anticlimax to the 2026 World Cup

JEDDAH, SUNDAY – The reality did not match the hopes of the Indonesian national team. The dream of reaching the World Cup for the first time did not materialize in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Two matches in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers resulted in defeats against Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

The "Garuda" squad is the team that has been in the longest World Cup 2026 qualification process. Indonesia has been competing for the 23rd edition of the World Cup since October 12, 2023. Specifically, Indonesia started from the first round to face Brunei Darussalam.

In total, Indonesia has played 20 matches in order to qualify for the World Cup next year. This is the largest number of matches for a team in the history of the Asian World Cup qualifiers.

For two years of struggle, Indonesia has also recorded the highest number of players in history. There were 47 players who represented the national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The two-year journey ended in tears and anger after Indonesia fell 0-1 to Iraq on Sunday (12/10/2025 WIB) at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The solitary goal from Iraqi midfielder Zidane Iqbal dashed the dreams of approximately 280 million Indonesian citizens to see the Garuda squad compete in the biggest football tournament.

The result means that Indonesia failed to earn a single point. Indonesia is confirmed to be at the bottom of the Group B standings in the fourth round with zero points. In the final match, on Tuesday (14/10/2025), Saudi Arabia and Iraq will compete for a place, either in the main stage of the World Cup or for the team that continues its journey to the fifth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

"I am proud of this team. We have fought with all our strength and effort, and played better for the majority of the game duration. However, we were unable to score," said the central defender and team captain, Jay Idzes, after the match.

With the failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, the nearest tournament for the Indonesian squad is the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. The tournament will be held from January 7 to February 5, 2027.

After the largest event in Asia, the Garuda squad will begin their struggle towards the 2030 World Cup, the 100th edition, starting in September or November 2027.

"This team is not just for today. This experience serves as a valuable lesson for us in the future. For the next tournament and in the fight for the next World Cup," added Jay, a player from Sassuolo.

The fourth round match comes in a less than ideal situation for the Indonesian national team. Two key players, Ole Romeny and Calvin Verdonk, are dealing with injuries.

Both played in the match against Iraq without their best abilities. Calvin played the full game. However, Calvin's failure to close down Iqbal was the reason for the fourth goal conceded by goalkeeper Maarten Paes in the two matches in Jeddah.

Ole could only play from the 56th minute. Coming on as a substitute for Mauro Zijlstra in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Ole was powerless against Iraq's defense.

Not a single shot was taken by the three-goal scorer in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. He only made 14 touches and created just six accurate passes.

On the other hand, Indonesia's coach Patrick Kluivert has lost goalkeeper Emil Audero due to a muscle injury. Another key player, Marselino Ferdinan, who scored two goals in the third round, was also not taken by Kluivert to Jeddah.

Two other key players since the second round, Ivar Jenner and Rafael Struick, have also been excluded from the squad. The most expensive center-back in Southeast Asia, Mees Hilgers, is also not included in the fourth round squad as he has not played for his team, Twente, in the Dutch League this season.

In order to defeat Iraq, Kluivert made five changes to the starting eleven. Rizky Ridho, Thom Haye, Eliano Reijnders, Calvin, and Zijlstra played from the kickoff.

The lineup helped Indonesia adopt a more attacking approach. Seven shots were created in the first half. However, the issue of finishing could not be resolved by Kluivert and his staff.

There were no shots on target in the first half. In fact, Indonesia's best opportunity came from Zijlstra in the 14th minute, which failed to result in a goal. The Volendam striker's tap-in, after receiving a cross from Thom, went wide to the left of the Iraqi goal.

A precise shot on target for Indonesia was created in the 65th minute through a shot by Kevin Diks. It was the only moment when an Indonesian player forced the Iraqi goalkeeper, Jalal Hassan, to make a save.

The collection of games was more dominant with 55 percent ball possession (45 percent belonging to Iraq) and nine shots (seven shots from Iraq) resulting in no goals. The Garuda squad suffered consecutive defeats in the last three matches in pursuit of their dream for the 2026 World Cup.

Eleven minutes later, Iraq scored a goal through a counterattack scheme. Iqbal was the first Iraqi player to break through Indonesia's defense with a shot on target. In the 90+7 minute, Youssef Amyn posed a threat to the Indonesian goal. Paes was able to deflect Amyn's shot.

"This is a difficult match. We played with a sense of nervousness in the first 45 minutes. After that, the coach made changes that had an impact on the team," said Iqbal.

The FC Utrecht player added, "This victory injects confidence in us as we head towards the World Cup. We will face Saudi Arabia with great conviction."