How Indonesia's World Cup Failure Is Seen as a Turning Point for PSSI

October 12, 2025 | 08:06 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup could serve as a turning point for the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of its football development programs.

The Garuda squad’s journey to the final round of qualifiers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico came to an end in the fourth round.

Under coach Patrick Kluivert, Indonesia was eliminated after a 0–1 defeat to Iraq in their second Group B match at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Sunday morning, October 12, 2025.

The result left the team at the bottom of the group with no points, following a 2–3 loss to Saudi Arabia in the opening match at the same venue last Thursday.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Iraq are set to meet again early Wednesday WIB to determine who will advance directly to the World Cup. The winner will qualify automatically, while the loser will move to the fifth-round playoffs. Indonesia, finishing third in the group, is officially out of contention.

Calls for Calm and Long-Term Planning

Former PSSI Primavera player and football commentator Supriyono Prima said the current setback should push PSSI to think strategically rather than react emotionally.

“PSSI must remain calm. Building football success cannot be done instantly,” he told Tempo on Sunday.

According to Supriyono, PSSI, working alongside the national team’s Technical Director Alexander Zwiers from the Netherlands, needs to establish short-, medium-, and long-term development targets aimed at qualification for the 2030 World Cup.

He said these plans must include nurturing both young diaspora talents and domestic players to build a deeper and more competitive squad.

He also urged PSSI to immediately conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the current program, holding all parties accountable for the team’s early exit.

“There must be decisive and responsible action regarding the failure in this qualifying round, including evaluating coach Patrick Kluivert’s performance,” Supriyono said.

Kluivert, appointed head coach on January 8, 2025, replaced Shin Tae-yong, the South Korean tactician who had led the team for five years. One of Kluivert’s key mandates was to guide Indonesia to its first-ever World Cup appearance.

“No Instant Success in Football”

Football analyst Kesit Budi Handoyo echoed the call for patience and long-term planning. “Achieving success takes time. It cannot happen instantly, as we’re trying to do now,” he told Tempo on Sunday.

Kesit noted that Indonesia has a growing number of diaspora players competing in European leagues, but these talents still need more time to gel and build on-field chemistry.

“We need consistency. Right now, our performance is fluctuating. One match we believe we can win, the next we feel we can’t. It’s still unstable,” he explained.

Poor Preparation and Limited Training Time

Kesit also criticized the team’s limited preparation before the qualifiers. The national squad reportedly only assembled two days before their first match in the fourth round. Such a short timeframe, he said, made it difficult for the players to synchronize their movements and tactics.

“It’s a repeat of what happened when we lost to Australia,” he said. “Not all players arrived on time, and even in this round, some joined the camp just two days before the match. Training integration was far from optimal.”

Both analysts agreed that preparation for the 2030 World Cup qualifiers must begin immediately and be handled with greater consistency. The national team, they said, should hold more frequent training camps, play regular international friendlies, and maintain a stable core lineup to foster cohesion.

“The more often the players train and compete together, the stronger and more confident the team will become,” Kesit said.

“That’s how we can build genuine optimism and believe that this team can finally compete on the global stage.”

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