2026 World Cup Qualification, Saudi Arabia Vs. Indonesia: The Green Falcons Over Wind

The naturalization squad will be the backbone of the Indonesian national team (photo: ig @jayidzes)

JAKARTA - Saudi Arabia will host Indonesia in the opening match of the third round of the Asian zone 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Thursday 5 September. After appearing in the last two editions of the most prestigious international football event, Saudi Arabia is expected to qualify again, especially with the expansion of participants in the competition.

It's just that Saudi Arabia, currently coached by Roberto Mancini, the former Italian manager who won Euro 2020, is under pressure to increase the results of the national team after an unsatisfactory start. The Asian zone qualification, which is also experiencing expansion, demands top Asian countries to avoid the fourth half and the playoffs.

Given the top two teams in each group that will qualify for the fifth round, Saudi Arabia will face stiff competition from Japan and Australia in their group. After being knocked out in the last 16 of the Asian Cup and finishing second behind Jordan in the group stage of the previous round, Saudi Arabia's ranking declined, especially after a home defeat to Jordan and a draw in Tajikistan.

Although Mancini has yet to win in his first four matches as coach, all can be forgotten if he manages to bring Saudi Arabia to the 2026 World Cup in North America. Three points in the match against Indonesia, which is the team with the lowest rank in the group, are a must for The Green Falcons.

Indonesia itself managed to reach the third round after beating Brunei by aggregate 12-0 in the first round, and beating Vietnam and the Philippines in the previous round. The Garuda team, which is currently ranked 133 in the world, has appeared in the World Cup once, 86 years ago when it was still known as the Dutch East Indies (East Indies). Garuda Merah Putih now hopes to surprise Bahrain and China to reach fourth place in this group in order to advance to the next round.

However, facing a stronger opponent, Indonesia will be tested to its limits. The 4-0 defeat to Australia in the last 16 of the Asian Cup in January showed significant class differences.

For Saudi Arabia, the squad did not change much from the international window last June, with the absence of Mohammed Al-Breik and Sami Al Najei. Yasser Al-Shahrani is also still absent, and his successor, Saud Abdulhamid, is the only non-domestic player in the squad after joining Roma last week. Salem Al Dawsari, an experienced player with nearly 100 caps, is still a mainstay at the age of 33.

Meanwhile, Indonesia strengthened its squad with Dutch-based players, including Maarten Paes, goalkeeper FC Dallas who just acquired full citizenship last May. Several other players played in the Netherlands and Belgium, while Nathan Tjoe-a-On from Swansea City. However, Indonesia's defense was slightly disturbed by the absence of Jordi Amat who was banned from playing and Elkan Baggott who was injured.

Player Composition Predictions:

Saudi Arabia (3-5-2): Al Owais; Hamidou, Lajami, Al Bulayhi; Abdulhamid, Al Khaibari, Kanno, Al Juwayr, N Al Dawsari; S Al Dawsari, Al Brikan.

Indonesia (3-5-2): Paes; Ridho, Idzes, Hubner; Mangkualam, Ferdinand, Haye, Tjoe-a-On, Verdok; Struick, Oratmangoen.