World Cup Asian zone: 3 years after stadium disaster, Indonesia 2 wins from making return
Southeast Asian nation among six vying next week for two Asian spots remaining in 2026 global event co-hosted by US, Canada and Mexico
Almost 90 years after their first and only appearance at the World Cup, Indonesia are just two victories away from returning to the tournament.
If Indonesia can beat Saudi Arabia and Iraq on October 8 and 11, respectively, in the fourth round of the Asian zone qualifiers, they will advance to the 2026 World Cup to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“It will be a tough match, but until some time ago no party would predict Indonesia will undergo two crucial matches to qualify for the World Cup,” Fifa president Gianni Infantino said last week.
Two spots open for six teams
Infantino was behind the expansion of the World Cup from 32 teams in 2022 to 48 next year. Asia now has eight automatic places and Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan and Jordan have already qualified from the third round, which ended in June.
