Mental Pressure Threatens the Indonesian National Team's Chances Against Iraq

JEDDAH, FRIDAY – An entirely unfavorable situation looms over the Indonesian national football team ahead of their do-or-die clash in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Iraq, on Sunday (12/10/2025) at 02:30 WIB, at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The pressure to win, coupled with a poor record against the "Lion of Mesopotamia," is likely to affect the competitive mentality of the "Garuda" squad.

After starting the fourth round of competition with a 2-3 defeat to Saudi Arabia, Indonesia must win the next match to avoid immediate elimination and to continue their journey towards the 2026 World Cup. Three points against Iraq would open up two scenarios for Patrick Kluivert's team: qualifying directly for the 2026 World Cup or advancing to the fifth round.

One victory could help Indonesia secure a direct spot in the main round of the 2026 World Cup. The condition is that the winning score must be greater than two goals, so that Indonesia's goal difference becomes positive. Currently, Indonesia's goal difference stands at minus one (-1) in the competition within Group B.

In addition to winning by more than two goals, Indonesia needs to hope that Saudi Arabia's final match against Iraq is won by Iraq with a margin of no more than one goal and not greater than Indonesia's winning margin.

If that scenario doesn't pan out, then three points will be enough for Indonesia to secure a place in the fifth round. The group runner-up will face the Group A runner-up, who will be playing in Qatar. The match, for a spot in the Asian interzone playoffs, will be played on a home-and-away basis in November.

The draw against Iraq still keeps Indonesia's chances alive for the fifth round. This can be realized if Saudi Arabia can defeat Iraq by at least a two-goal margin. On the other hand, a loss would delay Indonesia's dream of reaching the World Cup, which has been ongoing for 73 years, once again.

However, defeating Iraq is not an easy task. A mental block may overshadow the Indonesian squad. The reason is that Iraq has consistently managed to conquer Indonesia in the last three encounters since November 2023.

Indonesia was defeated by Iraq 1-5 in Basra during the opening match of the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Two months later, Garuda succumbed once again to the "Lions of Mesopotamia," losing 1-3 in the 2023 Asia Cup in Qatar.

We'll field our best players and prepare for the best possible performance. Because our goal is nothing other than winning. - Patrick Kluivert

When playing more aggressively in the second leg of the 2026 World Cup qualification, which took place in June 2024 in Jakarta, Indonesia fell again with a score of 0-2. This result indicates that Iraq was able to adapt to the tactical approach implemented by Indonesia.

In addition to the unfavorable record of meetings, other mental issues continue to plague the Garuda squad following two consecutive losses in official matches. Before they could recover from the 0-6 defeat against Japan, Indonesia conceded three goals to Saudi Arabia.

This situation is well understood by Indonesia's coach Patrick Kluivert. According to him, Jay Idzes and his teammates must forget everything that has happened in the past.

"We will face another final. It is important for us to approach the match against Iraq with a clear mind. I am confident that all players will deliver their best performance as usual," said Kluivert, Friday (10/10/2025), during a press conference in Jeddah.

Kevin Diks, the scorer of two goals against Saudi Arabia, added that the match against Iraq will present a difficult challenge. After losing the first match, Kevin stated that all players are in a good mental state to bounce back from that defeat.

"We used the preparation time very focused. We are very ready and highly motivated to deliver positive results for all supporters," said Kevin, a player for Borussia Moenchengladbach.

In the midst of that less-than-ideal situation, Kluivert will receive a boost in quality from the potential return of Calvin Verdonk and Ole Romeny to be able to play from the kickoff against Iraq. These two players have an irreplaceable role in Kluivert's game scheme.

Two defeats experienced by Indonesia against Japan and Australia occurred when Calvin was not playing. This situation highlights the significant role of the Lille player, from the French League, for the Indonesian national team.

On the other hand, Ole is one of the two players who have scored for Indonesia in official matches under Kluivert's management. Ole's presence in the 64th minute of the match against Saudi Arabia resulted in a significant opportunity and a penalty for Garuda.

"We will field our players and prepare for the best possible performance. Because our goal is nothing other than winning," said Kluivert.

In the history of encounters between the two teams, Indonesia has long ago defeated Iraq. This moment occurred during the 1968 Olympic qualifiers in January 1968. At that time, Indonesia won 2-1 against Iraq.

In examining the last three encounters against Iraq, there are two attackers who have become a significant threat to the Garuda defense. They are Ayman Hussein and Ali Jassim. Both players have consistently scored in the last two matches against Indonesia, including during their victory in Jakarta.

In addition to those two players, there is also another key forward from Iraq, namely Mohanad Ali. The sharpness of the forward from the United Arab Emirates League club, Dibba, is evidenced by his collection of three goals in two matches of the King’s Cup in Thailand last September. One of Ali's goals was scored against the Thai national team.

The President of the Iraqi Football Association (IFA), Adnan Dirjal, is targeting a positive result against Indonesia to open up hopes for the 2026 World Cup. Dirjal is directly accompanying the Mesopotamian Lions team in Jeddah. The goal is for Iraq to follow in the footsteps of their appearance in the 1986 World Cup.

"We are very united after experiencing the ups and downs of the past few years. We are getting closer to the 2026 World Cup, and hopefully, we can make that dream a reality," said Dirjal, Iraq's Minister of Youth and Sports for the 2020-2022 period, as reported by Iraqi Arabic-language sports outlet WinWin.