Erick Thohir Asks For The Fourth Round Of 2026 World Cup Qualifications To Run Fairly

PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir (Photo: Antara)

PSSI General Chair Erick Thohir asked all relevant parties to ensure that all matches in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification in the Asian zone run fairly.

"I ask the AFC and the two hosts to be able to keep all matches in round four running fairly and sportingly," Erick said, quoting Antara.

"We respect and welcome the AFC's decision to appoint Qatar and Saudi Arabia as hosts. Indeed, the two countries have world-class football infrastructure, and this will certainly bring an extraordinary competition atmosphere," he continued.

Six countries take part in this phase, namely Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman and Indonesia.

Erick emphasized that PSSI will continue to work hard to ensure that Garuda performs with the best preparation, both in terms of technicality, tactics, and mentality of players.

He hopes that all Indonesian football lovers will continue to pray and support the national team wherever the match takes place.

"This is a very important phase in the history of Indonesian football. We will try to prepare the team as well as possible, with the full support of all parties. We also believe that the match will take place fairly, professionally, and uphold the spirit of sportsmanship," said Erick.

"No matter where we play, Garuda's fighting spirit will always be brought to the field. We want to make history, and it starts with hard work since today," he concluded.

The fourth round group division draw will be held on July 17th and based on FIFA rankings updated on April 3, 2025, it is likely that the first pot will be occupied by Qatar and Saudi Arabia as the highest FIFA ranking team compared to the other four countries.

Then pot 2 is occupied by Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, while Indonesia and Oman are in pot 3.

However, the FIFA ranking position could change after the July 10 update so that it affects the determination of the pot on July 17.