The article in the Indonesian newspaper Bola stated: "The Indonesian team has yet to break the record of the Vietnamese team to become the Southeast Asian team with the most points in the third qualifying round of the World Cup. The "Golden Star Warriors" have 4 points in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, while the Indonesian team only has 3 points.
However, coach Shin Tae-yong and his team do not need to worry because there are still many opportunities to break the record of the Vietnamese team. The Indonesian team still has 6 matches left in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Not to mention breaking the record of the Vietnamese team, the Indonesian team can still qualify for the 2026 World Cup."
Previously, in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, the Vietnamese team played 10 matches, won 4 points with 1 win (won China 3-1), 1 draw (tied Japan 1-1) and was the only team in Southeast Asia to have 1 win in this final qualifying round. At the same time, coach Park Hang-seo at that time also helped the Vietnamese team become the Southeast Asian team with the most points in the third qualifying round of a World Cup.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian team is the only representative of Southeast Asia to win a ticket to play in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
On the evening of October 15, this team suffered a 1-2 defeat to the Chinese team in the 4th match. Despite using many naturalized players in the squad with the ambition of winning 3 points, coach Shin Tae-yong was unable to realize his goal.
This was the first defeat for the Indonesian team in the third qualifying round, after making a strong impression with three draws against Saudi Arabia, Australia and Bahrain. This result caused the Indonesian team to be level on points with their opponents on the rankings.
Currently, the Indonesian team is still in 5th place in Group C of the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup with 3 points. Meanwhile, the Chinese team has broken the losing streak and had its first win in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup - Asia region. However, they still cannot escape the bottom position when losing to Indonesia on goal difference despite having 3 points after 4 matches.
