Attacking Issues Threaten Young Garuda's Chances at the U-17 World Cup

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Only a few days remain until the U-17 Indonesia team takes the stage at the grandest youth football event, the U-17 World Cup 2025. Although overshadowed by significant potential after being able to compete on the Asian stage, the "Garuda Muda" squad is faced with issues that could hinder their chances of advancing to the knockout phase.

Four friendly matches spanning the last two months in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, have shown that the offensive side of Nova Arianto's team is still far from ideal. Facing balanced opponents such as CSKA Sofia U-17, North Macedonia U-17, Paraguay U-17, and Ivory Coast U-17, Indonesia has only managed to score two goals in total.

One goal was scored against CSKA Sofia, resulting in a 1-1 draw on September 10, followed by another goal during a 1-2 defeat against Paraguay on October 25. In the other two matches, against North Macedonia and Ivory Coast, Zahaby Gholy and his teammates failed to find the back of the net.

This situation will certainly make it difficult for Indonesia to compete with the three teams in Group H of the U-17 World Cup 2025, namely Zambia, Brazil, and Honduras. There is also an opportunity for the eight best-ranked teams from 12 groups to advance to the round of 32. In order to secure a ticket to the knockout stage, Garuda Muda must not only strive to earn points, but the collection of points also needs to be accompanied by a good number of goals.

According to the 2025 U-17 World Cup tiebreakers rules, the calculation for the third-best finish when several teams have the same points is by looking at the goal difference, followed by the number of goals scored.

Indonesia in Qatar must perform better than in the three matches during the group stage of the 2023 edition when it was the host. In the three matches at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, Surabaya, East Java, the team coached by Bima Sakti scored only one goal per match.

With only a collection of two points, Indonesia occupies the last position—sixth—in the ranking of the best third-placed teams from six groups. Not only in terms of points, but the Garuda Muda at that time was also the most inferior in scoring goals compared to the four third-placed teams that advanced to the knockout phase, such as Iran, Japan, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.

Evandra Florasta, an Indonesian midfielder, stated that thorough preparations have been made by the team since their qualification for the U-17 World Cup 2025 through the U-17 Asian Cup 2025 in April. If traced back to the formation of the team, the Indonesian U-17 team has been prepared for almost a year by Nova, a former assistant coach of the Indonesian national team during the Shin Tae-yong era.

"We have been preparing for a long time with coach Nova. Our main target is to advance from the group stage," said Evandra, who scored three goals in the 2025 U-17 Asian Cup, as reported by the FIFA website.

Of the 21 names registered by Nova for the 2025 U-17 World Cup, the task of scoring goals appears to be a collective responsibility of the team. Nova retained four key players from the U-17 Asian Cup, namely Gholy, Mierza Firjatullah, Fadly Alberto, and Fandi Ahmad. Nova has only added one striker, Dimas Adi Prasetyo.

At the U-17 Asian Cup, Evandra was supported by Gholy and Fadly, who each scored two goals in the 2025 U-17 Asian Cup. These three players recorded their names on the scoreboard during the event in Saudi Arabia in 2025.

"Personally, I want to help Indonesia make a significant impression in our participation in the World Cup," added Evandra, the player from Bhayangkara Presisi.

The main focus of Nova is to present more options and versatile players from the defensive line. There are three diaspora players in the defensive position, namely Matthew Baker, Lucas Lee, and Eizar Tanjung.

The three players could be options for Nova to deliver goals through set pieces, particularly corner kicks and indirect free kicks. The potential to capitalize on set pieces could serve as an alternative for Garuda Muda to score against the three teams in Group H. In terms of stature, the height of the Indonesian U-17 players is comparable to that of their three opponents in the qualifying phase.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's first two matches at the 2025 U-17 World Cup have garnered significant interest in Qatar. Prime Pass tickets for Indonesia vs. Zambia on Tuesday (November 4, 2025) are no longer available on the Road to Qatar website and app, the online ticketing platform. Tickets for that match cost 30 Qatari riyals (Rp 137,000).

The "unavailable" message also appears for the Indonesia vs. Brazil match. Tickets for that match also cost 30 Qatari riyals. The Garuda Muda's first two matches at the 2025 U-17 World Cup will take place at Field 7 of the Aspire Zone in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

As for the "Day Pass" for Indonesia's final match in the group stage, it is still available. The ticket price for that match is 20 Qatari riyals (Rp 91,300).

There are eight fields in the Aspire Zone that will host matches from the preliminary rounds to the semifinals. In total, 103 matches will be held across the eight fields in the Aspire Zone. The fields in the Aspire Zone can accommodate between 1,000 to 2,000 spectators distributed across the eight fields.

A major party will be held at the Khalifa International Stadium, which is still located within the Aspire Zone complex. This arena is the first football stadium in Qatar to witness the hosting of the 1988 Asian Cup, the 2006 Asian Games, the 2011 Asian Cup, the 2022 World Cup, and the 2023 Asian Cup.

"We will provide a new and unique experience for every spectator, visitor, and invited guest at the 2025 U-17 World Cup. We hope this year's tournament can be a benchmark for other youth tournaments around the world," said the CEO of the Qatar 2025 Football Tournament Local Organizing Committee, Jassim Al Jassim, in a virtual interview with Kompas, October 22.