Indonesian National Team's Determination to Repeat Historic Achievement, Only Oman is a Debutant Candidate

AMMAN, TUESDAY – The Indonesian national team is surrounded by five countries from the Arabian Peninsula in the competition for the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, vying for the last two tickets from Asia. However, among the six teams that will compete in October, only Oman will mark its debut participation in the biggest football tournament.

Oman secured the final ticket to the fourth round in a dramatic fashion. After being pressured for the first hour of the match by Palestine at the King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday (11/6/2025 WIB), Oman also faced two unfavorable conditions: trailing by one goal and playing with 10 players after midfielder and captain, Harib Al-Saadi, received a second yellow card in the 73rd minute.

However, they secured the fourth position in Group B through a penalty execution by Issam Al-Sabhi when the match entered the 90+7 minute. The kick and the final opportunity allowed Oman to maintain hope of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time.

Oman coach Rashid Jaber is proud of the efforts of his players who were able to overcome several difficult moments in Amman. In fact, until entering extra time in the second half, Palestine was on the verge of securing a ticket to the fourth round.

"They put us in a very difficult situation, especially after we conceded early in the second half. The red card also made us more cornered, but the players never gave up," Jaber stated as reported by the AFC website.

Jaber reminded his players that the dream of reaching the World Cup will face greater challenges. "The players show a strong desire and ambition to play in the World Cup. Now we are thinking about preparing ourselves for the next round in October," he continued.

The fourth round of the 2026 Asian Cup qualifiers will be held in a mini-tournament format with the host country centralized. Six teams will be divided into two groups. Each group winner will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while the two second-place finishers will compete for a ticket to the interzone playoffs in March 2026.

Although there has been no announcement regarding the match locations from FIFA, rumors are circulating that Saudi Arabia and Qatar will host their respective groups. The Chairman of PSSI, Erick Thohir, confirmed that Indonesia has also submitted its bid to host the fourth round. The matches of the fourth round will take place from October 8 to 14, 2025.

In the group draw rules, Indonesia will not face Saudi Arabia as they come from the same group in the third round. As a result, the "Garuda" squad will meet two out of four teams, namely the United Arab Emirates or Qatar from Group A and Iraq or Oman from Group B.

According to FIFA records, Oman is the only contestant in the fourth round that has yet to represent Asia in the World Cup. Other contestants have previously participated in the largest and most lucrative event for the world football governing body.

Saudi Arabia, for instance, has qualified six times, with its most recent participation in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Qatar (2022 edition), the United Arab Emirates (1990), Iraq (1986), and Indonesia have all been recorded as having participated once in the World Cup.

Specifically for Indonesia, this achievement was made during the 1938 World Cup in France under the name Dutch East Indies. At that time, Indonesia wore the distinctive Dutch uniform consisting of an orange jersey, white shorts, and light blue socks.

Indonesia was recorded by FIFA as representing the Netherlands Indies Football Union (NIVU), not PSSI. The national anthem of the Netherlands, "Wilhelmus," resounded at the Municipal Velodrome Stadium in Reims, before Achmad Nawir and his teammates battled against Hungary in the round of 16 on June 5, 1938.

Indonesian coach Patrick Kluivert was confronted with reality as Indonesia was defeated by Japan 0-6 at the Suita City Football Stadium on Tuesday (10/6/2025).

Although reinforced by prominent players who have careers in Europe, such as Emil Audero, Jay Idzes, Mees Hilgers, Justin Hubner, Thom Haye, Joey Pelupessy, Kevin Diks, Dean James, and Ole Romeny, the Garuda squad failed to provide a balanced challenge against Japan, which has qualified for the World Cup in eight consecutive editions since France 1998.

The prominent name of Kluivert and his staff from the Netherlands, namely Danny Landzaat, Alex Pastoor, and Gerald Vanenburg, have not been able to elevate Indonesia's level to approach that of Japan. In addition to conceding six goals, Indonesia failed to make a single shot and maintain possession of the ball within Japan's penalty area.

According to Kluivert, the situation of the match in Japan serves as a benchmark for Indonesia to pursue its dream of appearing in the World Cup. Improvements, Kluivert continued, are not only aimed at the players but also at himself as a coach to better prepare the team to compete in the challenging fourth round.

In order to qualify for the World Cup in October, Garuda has no other option but to win two matches. Six points are the target that Indonesia must set in order to determine its own fate towards North America in June 2026.

"All countries that advanced (to the fourth round) have a strong ambition to progress to the World Cup. They are teams that have the capability to compete with one another. We will improve ourselves to prepare for the interesting opponents in October," said Kluivert at the press conference following the match against Japan.

Julen Lopetegui, the coach of Qatar, is ambitious to make history for his new team. He aims to be the first coach to lead Qatar to the World Cup through the qualification route.

"Qatar has never qualified through the qualification route, and we will strive to qualify in October. This team has the potential to compete with the presence of a new generation in the squad," said Lopetegui to the FIFA website.