TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian national team is entering a crucial phase in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The Garuda squad will face off against China tomorrow, June 5, 2025, in a game that will determine the team's fate in their efforts to qualify for the World Cup.
To achieve the best results, the Indonesian football association, PSSI, has called up 32 players to strengthen the Indonesian national team for the two games against China and Japan, on June 5 and 10, respectively.
All About the Indonesian National Team Ahead of the Match against China
1. Public Enthusiasm
PSSI Chair Erick Thohir said he's proud to witness the public's enthusiasm to watch the last home match of the Garuda squad in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, against China at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta, on June 5.
This enthusiasm can be seen from the sold-out tickets that PSSI sold in two stages, through Livin' by Mandiri on May 15 and Kita Garuda on May 19.
"Thank you for the extraordinary enthusiasm to support the Indonesian national team. See you at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium," said Erick as quoted by Antara on Tuesday, May 20.
GBK Stadium has a capacity of 76,000, and the agency prepared 70,000 tickets for the home match. The tickets are sold at various prices, ranging from Rp300,000 to Rp1,750,000.
2. Key Players
From the list of 32 names announced last Sunday, the majority of key players are retained. Coach Patrick Kluivert has called up regular names such as Rizky Ridho, Marselino Ferdinan, Jay Idzes, and Thom Haye.
Kluivert also considered names from domestic competitions. Several League 1 players who have attracted attention, such as Stefano Lilipaly, Septian Bagaskara, Yakob Sayuri, Yance Sayuri, and goalkeeper Reza Arya, have been called up to the training camp.
Before facing China and Japan, the Indonesian national team holds training camps in Jakarta and Bali.
3. Stefano Lilypaly
In the list of players set to strengthen the Garuda squad, Stefano Lilipaly is the most talked-about as he is recalled to the national team after previously playing for the senior national team. Lilipaly, who is 35 years old and has 29 caps for the senior national team, played his last cap with the Garuda team on August 9, 2023, in a friendly match against Turkmenistan, which ended with a 2-0 victory.
4. Possibility of Emil Audero's Debut
As quoted from Skor.id, Emil Audero is predicted to be the main option for goalkeeping during the China match. Considering that Maarten Paes' yellow cards prevent him from playing for the team.
5. Chances of Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup
The Indonesian national team is currently in fourth place in the temporary standings of Group C with nine points. The Garuda team is below Saudi Arabia (10 points), Australia (13 points), and group leader Japan (20 points). Meanwhile, China shares sixth place with Bahrain, each with 6 points.
The Garuda team still has a chance to qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup final round by finishing in the second position, although the chance is slim. The biggest opportunity is to go through the fourth round of the Asian zone qualifiers by finishing in the third or fourth position.
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