The Indonesian National Team Calls 27 Players To Fight Bahrain And China

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team continues to finalize preparations for the Third Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification which will be held in October 2024. The Garuda squad will be strengthened by 27 players to face Bahrain and China.

This news was conveyed by the Chairman of the National Team Agency (BTN), Sumardji. From the plan of these 27 players, Sumardji confirmed that there were already names of Mees Hilgers and Eliano Reijnders.

These two players are known to have just officially become Indonesian citizens and their federation transfer process is currently being carried out from KNVB (Netherlands) to PSSI.

"There are 27 players in all. This will all gather directly in Bahrain. From the list of 27 players, including Mees Hilgers and Eliano Reijnders," Sumardji said in his statement quoted on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.

Before appearing in the 2026 World Cup Qualification, the players apparently will not undergo a training camp (TC) in Jakarta. Regarding that, Sumardji revealed that the players planned to only gather on October 5, 2024 and immediately left for Bahrain.

"We will gather on Saturday, October 5, 2024. After dinner, we will go directly to Soekarno-Hatta Airport. We will immediately fly to Bahrain. So, there will be no training first in Jakarta," he said.

The Indonesian national team achieved satisfactory results after holding back the draw between Saudi Arabia and Australia in the first two matches of Group C of the 2026 World Cup Qualification Third Round.

It is hoped that the better results will be held by the Indonesian national team when they travel to the headquarters of Bahrain and China.