There are still many ways for the Indonesian National Team to go global
After failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Indonesia has the potential to achieve good results in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
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Indonesian U-23 players sing the song "Indonesia Raya" before the Paris 2024 Olympic playoff match against the Guinean U-23 team at Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines Field, Paris, France, Thursday (9/5/2024).
The journey of the Indonesian U-23 team from the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup to undergoing the playoffs 2024 Paris Olympics has undermined the inferior achievements of Indonesian football in the football competition map world. Even though it has not been able to appear in Paris 2024, Indonesia still has other ways to show its strength as a competitive national team in several international events in the future.
The "Garuda Muda" squad has thwarted the ambitions of Australia and South Korea to represent Asia at the 2024 Olympics. The two main powers in Asia were unable to stem the slick performance of Marselino and his friends.
The long journey and achievements of all members from the U-23 Asian Cup to the Olympic playoffs show that our football has the quality to appear at the Olympics. I salute you and we are targeting the next Olympics.
Apart from that, Indonesia was also able to provide fierce resistance to Guinea in the 2024 Olympic playoff match, Thursday (9/5/2024), at the Pierre Pibarot Stadium, Clairefontaine, France. Indonesia's 0-1 defeat was only caused by the execution of a penalty by Guinea midfielder, Ilaix Moriba, in the 29th minute.
Also read: Down from Guinea, Indonesia U-23's hopes of going to the Paris Olympics are dashed
Indonesia U-23 defender, Pratama Arhan Rifai, fights for the ball with Guinea striker, Ousmane Camara, in the 2024 Paris Olympics playoff match in Clairefontaine, south of Paris, France, Thursday (9/5/2024). Indonesia must face Guinea to get a place at the 2024 Paris Olympics after two opportunities to qualify directly through the U-23 Asian Cup which took place in Qatar failed.
The penalty may not be given if FIFA provides a video assistant referee (VAR) device. This is because the contact of Witan Sulaeman's leg that caused the Guinea striker, Algassime Bah, to fall occurred outside the penalty box.
In general, the Indonesian U-23 team's gameplay has significantly improved since their gold medal victory in the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia. After ending the wait for gold in the Southeast Asian sports festival, Garuda Muda can now become the fourth-ranked team in Asia.
"The long journey and achievements of all members from the U-23 Asian Cup to the Olympic playoffs show that our football has the quality to appear at the Olympics. "I salute you and we are targeting the next Olympics," said PSSI General Chair Erick Thohir in a written statement after watching the Indonesia versus Guinea duel live.
However, before discussing the target for the next Olympics which is still a long way off, Indonesia has big ambitions in the near future in qualifying for the World Cup. If the qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will only start at the end of 2027 with the qualifying round for the 2028 U-23 Asian Cup, the Indonesian national team will already have a decisive match in the second round 2026 World Cup qualification, early next June.
Also read: Indonesia vs Guinea, Fierce Players on Both Sides of the Field
Indonesian U-23 midfielder, Ivar Jenner (center), was blocked by two Guinean players in the 2024 Paris Olympics playoff match in Clairefontaine, south of Paris, France, Thursday (9/5/2024). In the first half, Indonesia trailed 0-1 through Ilaix Moriba's penalty goal in the 29th minute.
The Indonesian National Team, coached by Shin Tae-yong and populated by the main players of the U-23 team, only needs three points from the final two matches against Iraq (6/6/2024) and Philippines (11/6/2024) to qualify for the third round. The advantage of being in the "Garuda" squad is because the two matches took place at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta.
It is no wonder that Erick considers the 2026 World Cup qualification as a means of redeeming Indonesia's "disappointment" in failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Occupying the top two spots in Group F of the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifications, Indonesia will advance to the third round and secure an automatic ticket to the 2027 Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Advancing to the third round will bring Indonesia into the ranks of the top 18 in Asia. The two highest-ranking teams in the three groups of the third round will become the first six Asian representatives to compete in the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in three countries in North America.
The third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round is the best place for Garuda to test the development of quality that Shin and his coaching staff have built since 2020. They will play 10 matches in the third round, which will take place from September 2024 to September 2025.
Also read: Indonesia vs Guinea, Twin Ambition to End Long Wait to Appear at the Olympics
Indonesian U-23 defender, Bagas Kaffa, fights for the ball with Guinea striker, Momo Fanye, in the Paris 2024 Olympic playoff match in Clairefontaine, south of Paris, France, Thursday (9/5/2024). Guinea lead 1-0 and qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
If Indonesia can at least secure the third or fourth position in the third round group, they will continue their adventure to the fourth round. Six teams will be divided into two groups in the fourth round.
The group winner immediately qualifies for the 2026 World Cup, while the two group runner-up teams will duel to win inter-confederation playoff tickets with one of the teams from Africa, South America, Oceania and two representatives of North-Central America. The playoff match will compete for the two final tickets to the 2026 World Cup.
"On an individual and team target, I want to bring the team to the next round of the World Cup Qualifiers," Shin stated when asked about his target with the Indonesian national team after the 2023 Asian Cup in January.
Whatever the result may be in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifying, Shin has at least made another historic achievement. He is the first coach to lead the Garuda to the final round of the Asian Cup for two consecutive editions.
Also read: Falling from Iraq, Indonesia Knocks on the Final Door to the Paris Olympics
Indonesian U-23 defender, Komang Teguh, fights for the ball with Guinean midfielder, Issiaga Camara, in the 2024 Paris Olympics playoff match in Clairefontaine, south of Paris, France, Thursday (9/5/2024). In the first half, Indonesia and Guinea both attacked in search of goals.
Exact track
Syamsuddin Umar, former assistant coach of the Indonesian national team in the 2007 Asia Cup, believes that Shin's team is on the right track for continuous development. Syamsuddin is confident that the Indonesian national team can achieve many more impressive accomplishments in the future. This is based on a combination of young players who have gained international experience and quality players of Indonesian descent.
"I see that the current Indonesian team is delivering the best performance I have ever witnessed. Their mentality is strong as they are not afraid to face anyone. In terms of gameplay, they are attacking and similar to modern teams today," said Syamsuddin, who was the coach of PSM Makassar with two Indonesian League titles.
Despite the significant improvement and rapid development of the national team's performance, PSSI still has work to do in improving the quality of competitions, especially Liga 1, which is one of the sources of national team players.
The 2024 U-23 Asian Cup showed that Garuda Muda's squad depth is not very good. When one key player is absent, it affects the team's performance. This was very apparent when Rafael Struick was absent in the semifinal match against Uzbekistan, and also when Rizky Ridho was absent in matches against Iraq and Guinea.
Also read: Power Map of Indonesia and Guinea Ahead of the 2024 Olympic Playoff Match
Indonesian U-23 players leave the field after being defeated by the Guinean team in the 2024 Paris Olympics playoff match in Clairefontaine, south of Paris, France, Thursday (9/5/2024).
The depth of the midfield squad also caused Marselino to play in two different positions in matches in Qatar and France. When Nathan Tjoe-A-On was placed as a defender to cover for the absence of a back player, Marselino became the partner of Ivar Jenner in the midfield. On other matches, Marselino appeared as a winger.
In addition to looking for naturalized players to strengthen the squad's depth, PSSI also needs to find an effective way to improve the quality of Liga 1 in order to bring players who can compete and make it into the national team. The presence of naturalized players has at least provided a standard of individual quality that can serve as a benchmark for local players to be called by Shin.
"The national team has a golden generation with players like Witan, Marselino, Rizky Ridho and Ernando (Ari), plus naturalized players. "We have a blueprint until 2045. This means that the program we are running is already on the track so we will continue to be consistent and improve what is still lacking," said Erick.
Like the journey of a bird, Garuda team is currently taking off to fly. With good management and supporting systems, Garuda will be able to soar towards the world tournament.
