Shin Tae-yong Talks About The Indonesian National Team's Chance To Go To The 2026 World Cup: Even Though It's 1 Percent, It Won't Give Up

JAKARTA - The coach of the Indonesian national team, Shin Tae-yong, is optimistic about the Garuda Squad's chance to break into the 2026 World Cup stage. This was revealed ahead of the inaugural match in the Third Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification against Saudi Arabia.

The Indonesian national team is currently preparing to appear in the Third Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification in the Asian Zone. The Garuda squad must compete in Group C with Saudi Arabia, Australia, Japan, Bahrain, and China.

Realizing that he was in a tough group, Shin Tae-yong admitted that Indonesia's realistic opportunity to qualify for the next round was only 20-30 percent. However, these calculations did not necessarily make him give up.

The South Korean coach even admitted that he would not give up a bit even though he led the Garuda Squad to qualify for the 2026 World Cup stage, only one percent.

"As I said earlier, the opportunity to go to the 2026 World Cup is only 20-30 percent. I ask everyone to be patient," said Shin Tae-yong, quoted from PSSI Youtube, Wednesday, September 4, 2024.

"Although there is only one percent hope, I will not give up. The more support you give, the more the team will perform well and I believe that," he said again.

The Indonesian national team will start their struggle against Saudi Arabia at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah, on Thursday, September 5, 2024 local time or Friday, September 6, 2024, early morning WIB.

After the inaugural match, Shin Tae-yong's team only had five days to manage the second match. The Garuda squad will undergo a home match at the Gelora Bung Karno (SUGBK) Main Stadium, Jakarta, by facing Australia.

Taking place on September 10, 2024, Shin Tae-yong hopes that Garuda Squad supporters can enliven the SUGBK stands in order to put pressure on opponents.

"I beg you to bustle the game and we will give our best. We will face Australia at GBK. So, to all fans, you can come and can influence our opponents."

"Support the players, provide the best support, as much as you can. This will be a strength for me, the players, and of course we hope we can get the best results," said Shin Tae-yong.