Will Talk, Philippine Coach Says Indonesia's National Team's Ability Is Close To South Korea

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team will face the Philippines in the last match of the second round of the Asian zone 2026 World Cup Qualification. Ahead of the meeting, the Philippines coach, Tom Saintfiet, said that the ability of the Garuda Squad, which will be the opponent, has approached South Korea's strength.

The Philippines will meet with the Indonesian national team at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta on Tuesday, June 11 starting at 19.30 WIB. This match will be crucial for the hosts, because the victory over the Philippines is a fixed price to qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification.

Will face a team that has high targets with full support from supporters, Saintfiet admits that he is ready to bring the Philippines to do and give the best in SUGBK.

"We will do our best to win against Indonesia. I want to do my best, but we know that Indonesia is a team that has new powers in Asian football," Tom Saintfiet was quoted as saying on Sunday, June 9.

Saintfiet assessed that the Indonesian national team was very strong by strengthening players with careers in Europe, one of which was Sandy Walsh. Seeing the map of power, he did not hesitate to say that Indonesia now has almost the same strength as South Korea.

The Indonesian team is very strong. I came from Belgium, I worked in the Netherlands, I know many Indonesian players, as well as several Belgian players like Sandy Walsh, "

"With the current composition of players and strength, the Indonesian team is close to the levels of South Korea, Japan and countries like Asia," said Saintfiet.

Despite leading the team against a strong team, Saintfiet said the Philippines would try to steal victory over Indonesia.

"We want to try to get good results for them, but that doesn't mean Indonesia is not a favorite. We really respect them. Indonesia is the main favorite to be in this tournament," said Saintfiet.