Indonesia still has a chance to officially win a ticket to the 2026 World Cup: What did coach Kluivert say?

The race for two official tickets to the 2026 World Cup in Group C is very tense. Japan has already secured a ticket and is sure to be in the top position. The question of interest now is which team will win the remaining direct spot in Group C?

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

In the upcoming round, Indonesia will host China at home on June 5, then visit Japan 5 days later. To secure a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup, coach Kluivert and his team must win both matches, thereby raising their total points to 15.

However, that is not enough. They also have to rely on Australia and Saudi Arabia to stumble in their final matches. Australia will host Japan on June 5, then face Saudi Arabia in the deciding match five days later.

After defeating Bahrain, the Indonesian team (right) rekindled hopes of winning a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Indonesia’s chances will end if Australia wins either match. Even if Australia draws two matches and Indonesia wins two matches to have the same 15 points, the Southeast Asian team is still likely to be eliminated, due to their inferior goal difference (-6 compared to +7).

In case both Australia and Saudi Arabia fail to win the series on June 5, Indonesia will have hope when the two opponents meet in the deciding match in Jeddah on June 10.

"The chance to win an official ticket is still there, but it is very difficult," coach Kluivert admitted in a press conference after the win over Bahrain at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on the evening of March 25.

Obviously, the most realistic target for Indonesia is to finish third or fourth. They are 3 points ahead of Bahrain and China. Indonesia's goal difference and goals scored are -6 and 8, while Bahrain is -8 and 5, China is -13 and 6.

The Indonesian team still has a good chance of participating in the fourth qualifying round to compete for one of two direct tickets or one of two tickets to the intercontinental play-off. If they beat the Chinese team 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 compete in an intercontinental play-off with teams from Africa, Oceania or South America.

Argentina and Iran are the next two teams to win tickets to the 2026 World Cup, after Japan a few days ago.

In the South American region, with Bolivia holding Uruguay to a 0-0 draw in the earliest match of round 14, Argentina officially won a ticket to the 2026 World Cup finals without playing against Brazil (they later also beat their opponent 4-1).

Meanwhile, after drawing 2-2 with Uzbekistan in Group A, Iran officially secured a ticket to North America next year. Iran is now 7 points ahead of the third-placed UAE in Group A, while there are only 2 rounds left in the third qualifying round of the Asian region.

Thus, along with the three co-host teams of the US, Canada and Mexico, there are four teams that have won tickets to the 2026 World Cup: Japan, New Zealand, Iran and Argentina.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/indonesia-van-con-co-hoi-gianh-ve-chinh-thuc-du-world-cup-2026-hlv-kluivert-noi-gi-18525032620541542.htm