On the evening of November 19, the Indonesian team defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 thanks to a double from Marselino Ferdinan. With 3 more points, the team from the archipelago temporarily rose to 3rd place in Group C, the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
Previously, Indonesia was at the bottom of the rankings, but now their chances of competing have increased significantly.
According to the format, the top two teams in the three groups will have direct tickets to the biggest football festival on the planet. At the moment, Japan is leading with 16 points and will definitely have a ticket to the final round if they win one more match.
All 5 teams in Group C still have a chance to compete for the top 2 position when they are only separated by goal difference.
For Indonesia, to be able to finish in second place in the group, they need 9 more points from the remaining 4 matches. According to calculations, Japan is a team that is too superior in Group C, so the possibility of getting points on their field on June 10, 2025 is very low.
So those 9 points are needed in 3 matches against other strong opponents: Australia (March 20, 2025), Bahrain (March 25, 2025) and China (June 5, 2025). This is not an easy task.
If they cannot enter the top 2 of Group C, Indonesia needs to enter the top 4. According to the format, the 6 teams ranked 3rd and 4th in the groups will continue to participate in the 4th qualifying round to compete for 2 official tickets.
Indonesia only need 6 more points from the remaining 4 matches to complete this goal.
In the 4th qualifying round, the teams will be divided into 2 groups (3 teams each). Matches will be played on neutral ground, and each team will only meet once. The top team in each group will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The two runners-up in the fourth qualifying round will then play two legs. The winner will play in the intercontinental play-off.
