After Losing to Australia, How is “Garuda’s” Journey?

1. Does Indonesia still have a chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup?

The match between Australia and Indonesia is highly significant for both teams, as the winner has a strong chance of securing second place in Group C and increasing their opportunity to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Conversely, the losing team will drop in ranking. On the same day, Japan emerged as the leader of Group C and became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after defeating Bahrain, 2-0.

The impact of the defeat against Australia has made Indonesia's ambition to directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup through the third round increasingly challenging. However, there is still an opportunity to secure the remaining two direct tickets through the fourth round, provided the national team finishes the third round in third or fourth place.

The journey in the fourth round will also not be easy, as Indonesia has the potential to become the only team outside the Middle Eastern teams in the next stage. To qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Indonesia must secure the first position among three contestants in the fourth round.

Indonesia is in fourth place with six points, trailing behind Australia in second place with 10 points. Indonesia's position has dropped from third to fourth in the Group C standings. With the goal difference widening from -3 to -7, Indonesia's chances of securing second place in the Group C standings are becoming increasingly slim.

Although there are still two home matches against Bahrain and China, realistically, Indonesia can only accumulate a maximum of 12 points. Unfortunately, this point total does not necessarily guarantee direct qualification for the World Cup.

2. What is the meaning behind Indonesia's defeat by Australia?

The defeat in Sydney was a bad start for new coach Patrick Kluivert, who replaced Shin Tae-yong in January 2025. The arrival of Kluivert and three new naturalized players, Emil Audero, Joey Pelupessy, and Dean James, gave new hope, although the final score was beyond predictions because in the first meeting at GBK, Indonesia was able to hold Australia to a 0-0 draw.

The defeat also extended Indonesia's poor record in Australia, where they have not won since the 1974 World Cup qualifiers. Patrick Kluivert became the second foreign coach to fail in Australia after Peter Withe in 2005. Five Indonesian coaches have tasted defeat in Australia, including Endang Witarsa, Harry Tjong, Benny Dollo and Kluivert.

Ole Romery's consolation goal in the 78th minute ended Indonesia's poor record of not scoring in Australia since the 1974 World Cup qualifiers.

The match also featured a parade of blunders from the Indonesian defense. Mistakes such as Nathan Tjoe-A-On's pull that led to a penalty and Thom Haye's mistake that led to Australia's second goal, made matters worse. Indonesia also conceded two Australian corners, showing the weakness in defense.

Although Indonesia started the match well, including two golden chances in the opening minutes and a missed penalty by Kevin Diks, they were unable to capitalize on those chances. This failure was one of the main factors in Indonesia's defeat.

3. What preparations did Indonesia make before facing Australia?

There are three main provisions that the Indonesian national team has to face the match against Australia, namely the quality of the players, a solid coaching staff, and the absence of key Australian players.

Indonesia is strengthened by four new players, namely Ole Romeny, Emil Audero, Dean James, and Joey Pelupessy, who increase the quality and depth of the squad. The accumulated market value of the Indonesian national team reached Rp 634.86 billion, the highest in history, and placed them as the most expensive team in Group C, surpassing Saudi Arabia and Australia.

Indonesia has a stronger coaching staff during the Patrick Kluivert era. Kluivert is supported by 10 assistants, including three assistant coaches and technical advisor Jordi Cruyff. Compared to Australia's coaching staff led by Tony Popovic, Indonesia is superior in terms of number and experience. Kluivert has experience as an assistant coach at the 2014 World Cup and was once the Director of the Barcelona Academy.

Australia will be without key players such as Harry Souttar, Alessandro Circati and Mitch Duke due to fitness issues. However, Australia coach Tony Popovic is confident his team can still perform well.