On the evening of November 19, the Indonesian team defeated Saudi Arabia with a score of 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 3rd 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 3 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 1 more match.
All 5 teams in Group C still have a chance to compete for the top 2 position when they are only behind each other in terms of goal difference.
For Indonesia, to be able to finish in second place, they need 9 more points from the remaining 4 matches. According to calculations, Japan is a very superior team 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 (20 3.2025), Bahrain (25.3.2025) and China (5.6.2025). 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 needs 6 more points from the remaining 4 matches to complete this goal.
When entering the 4th qualifying round, the teams will be divided into 2 groups (3 teams each). The match took place on a neutral field, only meeting each other once. The top team will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
After that, the two second-placed teams in the 4th qualifying round will compete in two rounds. The winning team will play in the intercontinental play-off.
