How Does Indonesia Keep Its Dream of Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup Alive?

The result of the match between Indonesia and China

The dream of the Indonesian national team towards the 2026 World Cup has entered a new phase. The 1-0 victory over China on Thursday (5/6/2025) evening WIB, at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta, secured Indonesia a spot in the fourth round, which will take place in October.

Similar to the eighth match against Bahrain, the positive result for the "Garuda" squad was achieved through a solitary goal from the Oxford United striker, Ole Romeny. Ole's third goal for Indonesia was scored via a penalty kick in the 45th minute.

A penalty was awarded by the referee from Uzbekistan, Rustam Lutfullin, after reviewing the replay on the video assistant referee (VAR). The incident began with a foul by the Chinese defender against the Indonesian midfielder, Ricky Kambuaya.

Ole Romeny can now be included in the list of the best strikers in Indonesia, referring to his performance in the World Cup qualifying matches. Goals scored in three consecutive matches have placed Ole Romeny alongside Ilham Jayakesuma. The legend of Persita Tangerang scored in three consecutive matches during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers.

Why is striker Ole Romeny's performance so promising?

After a long wait, the Indonesian national team finally has a strong and sharp striker who can determine victory. Ole Lennar ter Haar Romenij, also known as Oleh Romeny, is his name. Three goals in three matches of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers have resulted in six points for the Garuda squad.

The six points contributed by the 24-year-old striker ensure that Indonesia's hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup remain alive since the republic's independence in August 1945. Ole has led Indonesia to advance to the fourth round to compete with six other Asian teams for the remaining two tickets to the world stage next year.

Ole scored the only goal in Indonesia's last three matches in Group C of the third round. The goals against Australia, Bahrain, and China have witnessed his sharpness. Ole arrived and joined the Garuda squad at the right moment. He scored the sole goal to secure a 1-0 victory for Indonesia against two closest rivals, namely Bahrain and China.

Specifically for the match against China, Ole acknowledged that he executed the most important penalty of his professional career thus far. His calm execution was able to deceive the goalkeeper and captain of China, Wang Dalei, who is 12 years his senior.

What is the key to Indonesia's success in qualifying for the fourth round of the World Cup qualifiers?

Forget the hope of playing the total football style that the Indonesian national team played with Patrick Kluivert. The most important thing now, for Kluivert, is to bring the Garuda squad to the 2026 World Cup with a playing style that can guarantee a bigger win.

Indonesia secured two consecutive victories at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta, with a minimal score of 1-0. Bahrain was defeated last March, and on Thursday (5/6/2025), it was China's turn to return empty-handed.

In those two matches, Indonesia played very pragmatically. Bahrain and China recorded ball possession superiority for the first time in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round when competing in Jakarta.

Nevertheless, Indonesia is more dominant in creating dangerous opportunities. Three significant chances were presented by the Garuda squad against Bahrain and China, while those two teams could only create one best opportunity in Indonesia's defense.

Kluivert acknowledges that he does not prioritize a consistently attacking style of play for Indonesia. His goal is not to change the playing approach of Jay Idzes and his teammates, but rather to deliver positive results to pave the way for the grand stage of football in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, next year.

Will Kluivert add naturalized players to strengthen the squad in the fourth round?

In the 2026 World Cup qualifying match this June, the Indonesian national team coach Patrick Kluivert fulfilled his promise to provide equal opportunities to players from the BRI Liga 1 2024-2025 and those playing abroad. Seven players from the country's top-tier competition performed admirably against China on Thursday (5/6/2025) at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta.

Kluivert's debut with the Indonesian national team during the visit to Australia raised skepticism regarding Kluivert's promise of equality. This is because the Dutch tactician did not field any players from Liga 1 clubs at all.

The situation changed slightly when Kluivert included Rizky Ridho, the defender and captain of Persija Jakarta, in the starting eleven against Bahrain. Ridho has become the most frequently featured player from Liga 1 in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. He has played six times from the start in the nine matches that the Garuda squad has undergone.

Witan Sulaeman, Malik Risaldi, and Yakob Sayuri also had the opportunity to be key players under the previous coach, Shin Tae-yong. During Shin's era, a maximum of only two players from Liga 1 filled the starting 11 in the Group C matches of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

However, Kluivert demonstrated that he only needed time to better understand the resources of the Indonesian national team players, especially those from Liga 1. Ridho, Yakob, Ricky Kambuaya, and Egy Maulana Vikri are the ambassadors of Liga 1 who played since the kickoff in the match against China. Undoubtedly, this is the largest number of Liga 1 players to appear in a World Cup 2026 qualifying match.