Optimism Surrounds Patrick Kluivert Ahead of 2026 World Cup

Although initially sparking pros and cons, the arrival of Patrick Kluivert as the new coach of Indonesia's national team has still brought public confidence in realizing the dream of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Kluivert is required to meet expectations in his first two matches managing the "Garuda" squad against Australia (20/3/2025) and Bahrain (25/3/2025) to reinforce that public confidence.

Based on a survey by Litbang Kompas, early March, positive sentiment surrounded the appointment of Kluivert to continue the leadership of South Korean coach Shin Tae-yong in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Still with the same target, Kluivert has also been designated by the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) to lead Indonesia to the World Cup for the first time since the nation gained independence at the end of World War II.

Public confidence in Kluivert and his coaching staff, which includes several prominent names in European football such as Alex Pastoor, Danny Landzaat, and Gerald Vanenburg, to lead Indonesia to the 2026 World Cup has reached 49.2 percent.

By adding the percentage of the public who are "very confident," a total of 55.8 percent of respondents are optimistic that Kluivert can lead Indonesia to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Only 36.6 percent of respondents are not confident that Kluivert can realize the national football community's greatest dream.

Although optimism toward Kluivert is quite dominant, public confidence in Kluivert is not as strong as in Shin. In a poll conducted in October 2024, 87.9 percent of respondents believed Shin could help Indonesia qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The significant margin of confidence is quite reasonable. This is because Kluivert will only be leading his first match as the coach of the Garuda squad on Thursday (20/3/2025) against Australia at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Kluivert's involvement in initiating discussions with the leaders of Liga 1 Indonesia teams, directly scouting local players, and calling up 30 players for the matches this March has indeed fostered support for Kluivert.

The indication could be observed with dozens of supporters of the Indonesian national team bidding farewell to Kluivert and the coaching staff at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten, on Sunday (16/3/2025). Subsequently, dozens of Indonesian supporters also welcomed Kluivert and his team at Sydney Airport, Australia, on Monday morning (17/3/2025).

I support wherever the national team plays since I was with coach Shin.

Not only that, a number of supporters from Indonesia also flew to Sydney to directly support Thom Haye and his friends against Australia. Taufiq (53), a self-employed person, has also booked a hotel near the Indonesian squad's accommodation at the Intercontinental Doubley Bay Hotel, Sydney.

"I support wherever the national team plays since I was with coach Shin. Now, I also continue to maintain the tradition of coming directly to the national team's away games to support Patrick Kluivert's squad to qualify for the World Cup," said Taufiq.

Ahead of facing Australia and Bahrain, Kluivert has been given three new naturalized players. They are Emil Audero (Palermo), Joey Pelupessy (Lommel), and Dean James (Go Ahead Eagles).

The three players have the qualities to strengthen the depth of the Garuda squad. Kluivert also has 19 naturalized players.

Of the 19 names, only Jordi Amat (Johor Darul Ta’zim’/Malaysia), Rafael Struick (Brisbane Roar/Australia), and Sandy Walsh (Yokohama Marinos/Japan) have careers in Asia. One player plays in the United States, Maarten Paes at FC Dallas. The other 15 players have careers in Europe.

However, the public actually hopes that Kluivert will not rely too much on naturalized players. As many as 53.4 percent of respondents think that Kluivert needs to add more local players in his ambition to bring Indonesia to the 23rd World Cup which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Of the 30 players for the March game, Kluivert only included Septian Bagaskara, Dewa United's striker, as a potential debutant from Indonesia's League 1. The other seven League 1 players brought to Sydney are old faces, such as Rizky Ridho, Ernando Ari, and Ricky Kambuaya.

Meanwhile, respondents included seven domestically-trained players who are most favored to remain regulars in the Garuda squad in the Kluivert era. The seven players received support from more than three percent.

They are Pratama Arhan (24.9 percent), Rizky Ridho (22.5 percent), Marselino Ferdinan (15.5 percent), Egy Maulana Vikri (7.7 percent), Witan Sulaeman (3.7 percent), Asnawi Mangkualam (3.5 percent), and Ramadhan Sananta (3.2 percent).

Players who are currently shining with their respective clubs also received support from respondents, although less prominently, such as Beckham Putra (1.3 percent), Saddil Ramdani (0.9 percent), and Yakob Sayuri (0.5 percent).

On the other hand, as many as 36.6 percent of respondents still support the PSSI program under the control of General Chairman Erick Thohir to add naturalized players. Several names that still have the opportunity to be naturalized include Mauro Zijlstra (forward/Volendam), Jairo Riedewald (midfielder/Royal Antwerp), and Miliano Jonathans (winger/FC Utrecht).