TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian national team players will compete in the fourth round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. They have the chance to secure a direct ticket to the final round, but the team must first face tough opponents.
The Indonesian national team will compete in Group B, with all matches taking place at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In addition to the hosts, the Garuda Team will also compete against Iraq.
Only the group winner will earn a spot in the final round. The team finishing second in the standings still has the chance to fight again in the intercontinental playoff round. Meanwhile, the third-place team will be eliminated.
Indonesian National Team Schedule:
The Indonesian national team will play twice in the fourth round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. Here is the schedule:
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Indonesia vs. Saudi Arabia (12:15 a.m. Jakarta time, live on RCTI and GTV)
Sunday, October 12, 2025
Iraq vs. Indonesia (02:30 a.m. Jakarta time, live on RCTI and GTV).
Strength Comparison
The Indonesian national team is currently ranked 119th in the FIFA world rankings, while both opponents are in the top 100. Iraq sits at 58th, while Saudi Arabia is at 59th.
In terms of experience, Indonesia also lags far behind. Saudi Arabia has appeared in the World Cup six times, with their best performance reaching the round of 16 in 1994. Iraq has only competed in the World Cup once, in 1986, when they lost all three of their matches. Indonesia has only appeared once as the Dutch East Indies in 1938.
Indonesian National Team Player Lineup
Indonesian national team coach Patrick Kluivert initially called up 28 Garuda players for this qualifying round. However, today the Dutch coach decided to add one more player, Nadeo Argawinata, as an additional goalkeeper, bringing the total Garuda squad to 29 players.
Naturalized players such as Ragnar Oratmangoen, Thom Haye, Jay Idzes, Justin Hubner, and Miliano Jonathans will be the mainstays. They will work hand in hand with local stars such as Egy Maulana Vikri, Rizky Ridho, and Beckham Putra. A solid defense combined with a fast counterattack will once again be the mainstay, as in previous qualifying matches.
Here is the list of players he selected:
Goalkeepers: Maarten Paes, Emil Audero, Ernando Ari, Nadeo Argawinata.
Defenders: Justin Hubner, Jay Idzes, Rizky Ridho, Jordi Amat, Kevin Diks.
Wingers: Sandy Walsh, Calvin Verdonk, Dean James, Yance Sayuri, Eliano Reijnders, Shayne Pattynama.
Midfielders: Nathan Tjoe. A. On, Thom Haye, Joey Pelupessy, Marc Klok, Ricky Kambuaya, Beckham Putra, Stefano Lilipaly.
Forwards: Ragnar Oratmangoen, Miliano Jonathans, Egy Maulana Vikri, Yakob Sayuri, Ole Romeny, Mauro Zijlstra, Ramadhan Sananta.
Indonesian National Team's Target
With stiff competition, the Indonesian national team has been given a tough target. They must qualify for the final round.
The target was conveyed by the National Team Agency Chair, Sumardji. "We must qualify. The Chair has repeatedly emphasized that those in the team must really fight very hard. Once again, this is our nation's pride," he said while accompanying the national team's departure at Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Thursday, September 2, 2025.
He said PSSI Chair Erick Thohir also pushed for the target. "The Chair has emphasized that this is our nation's pride. That's why we have to fight. We have to do whatever it takes so that we can qualify for the World Cup," Sumardji said.
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