Conditions for Indonesia to participate in World Cup 2026

Indonesia beat Bahrain to keep hopes of advancing in Group C alive.

On the evening of March 25, the Indonesian team defeated Bahrain with a minimum score of 1-0 in the match of the 8th match of Group C, the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. This victory helped the team from the archipelago maintain the fragile hope of winning a direct ticket to participate in the biggest football festival on the planet.

Ole Romeny became the brightest star of the match when he scored the only goal in the 24th minute. This goal brought home 3 valuable points and rekindled the 2026 World Cup dream for Indonesia.

The race in Group C is very tense. Japan has already secured a ticket and is sure to be in the top position. The big question now is which team will join Japan in winning the remaining direct spot in Group C?

Currently, after the 8th round of matches, Indonesia has 9 points, ranking fourth. They are 4 points behind Australia (13 points) and 1 point behind Saudi Arabia (10 points). With two matches remaining, in theory, this gap can still be closed.

Indonesia will face China at home on June 5 in Jakarta, before visiting Japan five days later. To secure a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup, the Garuda must win both matches, thereby raising their total points to 15.

But that won’t be enough. They’ll also have to rely on Australia and Saudi Arabia both stumbling in their final games. Australia will host Japan on June 5, then face Saudi Arabia in the deciding match five days later.

If Australia fails to get at least 2 points in these two matches, Indonesia will have a chance to move up to second place. However, if Australia defeats Japan in the 9th match, Indonesia's door to the top 2 will officially close.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia will face Bahrain and Australia in their final two matches. With their current form, they also have a chance to compete for second place in the group, equal to Australia and Indonesia. If Saudi Arabia defeats Bahrain in their away match on June 5, Indonesia's chances of qualifying directly for the World Cup will be even narrower.

The match against China on June 5 is decisive for Indonesia.

In case both Australia and Saudi Arabia fail to win the 5/6 series (which is entirely possible), Indonesia will have hope when the two opponents meet in the deciding series in Jeddah on June 10.

The best scenario for Garuda would be a draw between the two teams, and they would also beat Japan away on June 10. Obviously, Indonesia no longer has much chance of qualifying directly for the World Cup. However, football is full of surprises and anything can happen.

The Indonesian team still has a good chance of participating in the fourth qualifying round to compete for two direct tickets or two tickets to the intercontinental play-off. If they beat China on June 5, Indonesia will almost certainly have one foot in the fourth qualifying round.

The six third- and fourth-placed teams in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers will be divided into two groups, playing a round-robin format to determine the top two teams in each group to qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup. The two runners-up in each group in the fourth round will enter an intercontinental play-off against teams from Africa, Oceania or South America.

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