Extremely narrow door for Indonesia to go straight to World Cup 2026

After 7 matches in Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round 3, Indonesia has won 7 points, ranking 4th. The archipelago team is 3 points behind the teams above it, Saudi Arabia (4 points), Australia (19 points) and Japan (19 points).

In the next three matches, Indonesia will face Bahrain, China and Japan. Coach Kluivert and his team must win all 9 points in the remaining 3 matches to maximize their hopes of advancing. At that time, Indonesia will have a total of 15 points. The representative of Southeast Asia will wait for Australia (not winning more than 5 points) and Saudi Arabia (not winning more than 6 points) to squeeze through the extremely narrow door and finish 2nd overall.

If Indonesia wins 2/3 matches, gaining a total of 12 points, the chance of advancing will be even smaller. At that time, coach Kluivert and his team will have to wait for Australia to only gain 1 point in 3 matches, and Saudi Arabia to also stumble in the last 3 matches.

According to CNN Indonesia , their team has a good chance of beating Bahrain and China when playing at home. Indonesia's goal of getting points in Japan will be very difficult. At this time, Japan has secured its place in the next round, so Indonesia is just waiting for the scenario where Japan gives up and sends out a reserve team in the final match.

Indonesian sports newspapers all confirm that it will be difficult for Kluivert and his team to get a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup when the third qualifying round ends. After the "6-point" loss to Australia, Indonesia has almost raised the white flag. At this time, the practical goal that Kluivert and his team should think about is to secure a position in the top 4.

Indonesia, Bahrain and China are all on 6 points. If Indonesia loses or draws with Bahrain in the next match, things could be out of reach for Kluivert and his team.

Indonesia suffered a disastrous defeat against Australia.

If Indonesia finishes in the top four, they will be drawn into one of two groups in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia. In the fourth round, the top three teams in each group will advance to the 2026 World Cup. The runners-up in each group will advance to the fifth round of qualifying.

The two teams that make it to the fifth qualifying round will play two home-and-away knockout matches. The winners will play an intercontinental play-off against representatives from CAF, Conmebol, OFC, and go through the final leg to compete for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) surprised everyone when it fired coach Shin Tae-yong in the middle of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Kluivert took over Indonesia, making many changes to the playing style and squad in his first match, but failed to help the team improve.

After just one match, many Indonesian fans called for Kluivert to be fired. On the contrary, observers, experts and former Indonesian players remained patient, waiting to see how Indonesia would perform in the next match.

Indonesia will meet Bahrain at 8:45 p.m. on March 25. During the national team training session in June, Indonesia will play the remaining two matches against China and Japan.

Group C, 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers round 3.

Huong Ly