China qualified for the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after finishing second in the second qualifying round with nine points. They were tied on points with Thailand but advanced thanks to a better head-to-head record.
After reaching the third round, China quickly showed their inferiority when facing strong opponents on the continent. They returned to earth with a heavy 0-7 loss to Japan in the opening match of Group C.
Coach Branko Ivankovic's team then lost 1-2 to Saudi Arabia and 1-3 to Australia. They finished bottom of the group without any points.
The match against Indonesia could theoretically give China the perfect opportunity to take home their first points, as they are 38 places ahead of their opponents in the FIFA rankings (91 to 129).
But in fact, Indonesia has become significantly stronger in recent times. Coach Shin Tae-yong's team has gone 3 matches unbeaten, getting 3 points against Saudi Arabia, Australia and Bahrain.
With an improved squad thanks to a group of naturalized stars, the Indonesian team surprised everyone when they entered the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup for the first time. In terms of performance, Indonesia is considered to be better than China. If they win away from home, they will break the record of a Southeast Asian team in the third qualifying round.
Previously, the best achievement of a Southeast Asian representative was held by Vietnam (4 points). Indonesia will have 7 more matches to surpass this achievement.
Expected lineup:
China: Wang; Hu, Browning, Jiang, H Li; Xie, Wang, Y Li, Wei; Fernandinho, Zhang
Indonesia: Paes; Walsh, Hilgers, Amat, Idzes, Verdonk; Risaldi, Jenner, Haye, Oratmangoen; Struick
