2026 World Cup Qualifiers: What Will Indonesia's Strengths Be Like Against Saudi Arabia and Iraq?

The Indonesian national team has secured its place in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, accumulating 12 points from 10 matches. In the third round, the Garuda team achieved three victories, three draws, and four losses. In terms of productivity, the Indonesian national team recorded nine goals and conceded 20 times.

This achievement is a record for Indonesia and Southeast Asian countries as it has progressed significantly from the first round to the third round. The Indonesian national team is the only country with a FIFA ranking outside the top 100 in the world that has advanced to the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualification in the Asian zone.

After ensuring qualification, Indonesia will compete in the fourth round of the qualifiers. The draw placed Indonesia in Group B, competing against Saudi Arabia and Iraq. This draw was held on Thursday, July 17, 2025, in accordance with the predetermined pot distribution.

As in the previous qualifying round, the pot distribution was determined based on FIFA rankings. Among the five countries that successfully advanced in the fourth qualifying round, Indonesia was the only country with a FIFA ranking outside the top 100 in the world. As a result, Indonesia had to settle for being in the last pot alongside Oman, which is ranked 79th in the world.

In this fourth round, the team that successfully achieves first place in each group will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals. Meanwhile, the teams that finish second in both groups will face each other to win tickets to the inter-confederation play-offs.

The fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification matches will be held in October 2025 in Saudi Arabia. Indonesia will face Saudi Arabia on October 8, 2025, and compete against Iraq on October 11, 2025. So, what is the strength map of Indonesia's competing countries, namely Saudi Arabia and Iraq?

Currently, the Saudi national team is ranked 59th in the world and 7th in Asia. The Saudi team struggled during the third round before finally securing a ticket to the fourth round of the qualification stage.

Indonesia actually faced almost no issues when competing against Saudi Arabia during the third round of qualifications. The Garuda team managed to secure one victory and one draw against Saudi Arabia. In fact, Saudi Arabia's performance appeared stagnant when hosted by Indonesia at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in November 2024.

Saudi Arabia has become the team with the fewest goals among the other five countries that qualified for the fourth round of the qualifiers. With a record of 7 goals from 10 matches, Saudi Arabia has faced significant criticism when facing opponents due to a loss of touch in the front line.

Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia displayed a fairly strong defense. Saudi Arabia became the team with the fewest goals conceded (eight goals) among the other contestants in the fourth round.

The inconsistency of Saudi Arabia's gameplay presents an opportunity for Indonesia. The lack of cohesion in Saudi Arabia's midfield, which is often breached, serves as an important note that can be utilized by the Indonesian national team players to secure victory points against Saudi Arabia.

Moreover, statistically, in the last five matches (2011-2024), Indonesia has managed to draw twice and secure one victory when facing Saudi Arabia. This situation certainly presents a valuable opportunity that Indonesia can capitalize on.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, Indonesia is also set to meet Iraq. The Iraqi national team is ranked 8th in Asia. Iraq is a country that Indonesia must be wary of. Indonesia's significant defeats of 5-1 in November 2023 and 2-0 in June 2024 are more than enough to demonstrate Iraq's strength. In the third round of qualifications, Iraq also performed quite steadily with a record of scoring 9 goals and conceding 9 times.

From a game-play perspective, Iraq has a balanced lineup in almost every match. Solid performances and strong physical strength are Iraq's main strengths. To counter Iraq's playing style, Indonesia must have the physical strength to anticipate the high-pressing and man-marking tactics often employed by Iraq.

High pressing is a tactic that involves tight guarding of opposing players from the attack to the defense. Man-marking, on the other hand, is a tactic that involves individual guarding to avoid being outnumbered, making it difficult for opponents to crowd players into one area of the pitch.

To support their pressing and attacking play, Iraq has Ayman Hussein, a 29-year-old player who deserves attention. His record of four goals places Ayman among the top scorers alongside other top Asian players in the third round of the 2025 World Cup qualifiers.

Judging by their strengths and previous playing patterns, Indonesia needs to be extremely wary of Iraq. Iraq has a more pressing style of play. Based on match statistics, Indonesia consistently struggles against Middle Eastern teams that employ high-pressing and man-marking strategies.

Indonesia also has a poor record against Iraq. According to 11vs11 records, the Indonesian national team has not won a single match against Iraq since 1973. In nine meetings, Indonesia has recorded eight losses and one draw. To date, Iraq has consistently played with high-pressing and man-marking tactics, which have made things difficult for Indonesia.

Indonesia's chances of participating in the 2026 World Cup are getting closer. However, Indonesia must be able to win the group in order to qualify automatically for the final round of the 2026 World Cup. This requirement must be met by fighting fiercely to defeat Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Armed with players with experience in European, Asian, and domestic competitions, Indonesia should be able to compete with countries in the Middle East. Moreover, Indonesia has the second-highest market value compared to other competing nations in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. (Kompas Research and Development)