Indonesia still holds a chance to participate in the 2026 World Cup.

Despite the low probability, Indonesia remains in contention for a World Cup spot following the loss to Saudi Arabia.

Despite high expectations, the Indonesian national team failed to cause an upset in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup qualifying fourth round. Although they took an early lead against Saudi Arabia, Indonesia’s defense could not withstand the relentless attacks from their opponents. In the end, the Southeast Asian side narrowly lost 2-3.

This defeat has significantly impacted Indonesia's chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. If they cannot secure a win against Iraq in the final match, it is almost certain that coach Patrick Kluivert’s team will be eliminated. However, Indonesia’s opportunity is not completely gone.

In the Asian zone’s 2026 World Cup fourth round qualifiers, six teams are split into two groups of three. The group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup finals. The runners-up from each group will face each other in a fifth round over two legs. The winner will represent Asia in the intercontinental playoff.

Overall, despite losing to Saudi Arabia, Indonesia still has a chance to top the group and qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup finals. Specifically, if Indonesia beats Iraq by a large margin in the next match and Iraq defeats Saudi Arabia in the final round, all three teams will end up with 3 points.

At that point, the team with the superior goal difference will advance. Currently, Indonesia trails Saudi Arabia by just one goal and has scored 2 goals. If Indonesia wins big against Iraq in the last match, they still have a chance to finish first in the group. Of course, this scenario is quite unlikely.

If Indonesia only manages a draw against Iraq in the next game, they can still reach the fifth qualifying round if Iraq loses to Saudi Arabia by a bigger margin than their previous defeat. Then Indonesia would have to play two matches against the runner-up from group A to compete for a spot in the intercontinental playoff.

In the intercontinental playoff, due to their very low FIFA ranking, Indonesia will start from the semifinal stage and must win two consecutive matches to secure a wildcard spot for the 2026 World Cup. Their opponents could come from CONCACAF, Africa, South America, or Oceania.