Jakarta – Italian sports media Tuttomercatoweb has highlighted Indonesia’s dream of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The Garuda team is considered to have significant potential, thanks in part to its naturalized players.
The Indonesian national team has become a sensation in the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. This follows their historic 2-0 victory over Asian giants Saudi Arabia.
The win against Saudi Arabia propelled Indonesia to third place in Group C with 6 points. Marselino Ferdinan and his teammates are just one point behind Australia, who are in second place—the automatic qualification zone for the 2026 World Cup.
With four matches remaining, Indonesia still has a strong chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. If successful, it would mark the first time Indonesia has appeared on the world’s biggest football stage since its independence in 1945.
Tuttomercatoweb has shone a spotlight on Indonesia’s significant opportunity to reach the 2026 World Cup. The Italian-based media attributes much of the progress of the Indonesian national team to its naturalization efforts.
The publication reports that Indonesia has naturalized 15 players of mixed heritage, leveraging its historical ties with the Netherlands. One of these players is Venezia defender Jay Idzes, who also serves as captain of the Indonesian national team.
“The coach is from South Korea: Shin Tae-Yong. The captain plays in Italy: he is Venezia defender Jay Idzes. Born in North Brabant, Idzes spent his entire life in the Netherlands and was ‘brought’ to Indonesia at the end of 2023 thanks to his Indonesian-descended mother,” wrote Tuttomercatoweb.
“Of the 23 players called up for the World Cup qualifiers in November, 12 are Dutch: besides the aforementioned Idzes, another player is former Lecce midfielder Thom Haye,” the article continued.
“There is also Tijjani Reijnders’ younger brother, Eliano. At 24 years old and also a midfielder, he recently obtained Indonesian citizenship on September 30.”
Tuttomercatoweb concluded by highlighting Indonesia’s significant rise in the FIFA rankings—from 175 three years ago to 130 currently. The publication predicts that Garuda’s ranking will continue to improve in the future.
