Indonesia, placed in Group B of the fourth round, will face host Saudi Arabia on Oct. 9 and Iraq on Oct. 12. In the second qualifying round, they lost 1-5 and 0-2 to Iraq. In the third round, a stronger squad with naturalized players drew 1-1 away against Saudi Arabia and secured a 1-0 home victory.

After finishing fourth in Group C of the third round, Indonesia joined two other fourth-placed teams and three third-placed teams in the fourth round. The six teams are divided into two groups, playing in a round-robin format to determine the top two teams, which will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The second-placed teams will meet in a fifth-round playoff, with the winner advancing to the intercontinental play-off.

While coach Patrick Kluivert and his staff have over two weeks to prepare, CNN Indonesia highlighted several concerns off the pitch.

The first thing is that Indonesia must play their matches in Saudi Arabia, while the other group’s matches are in Qatar. The remaining four teams had requested neutral venues, but the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rejected the requests.

“Qatar and Saudi Arabia will have a big advantage from their home fans,” CNN Indonesia wrote. “They are also more familiar with the pitch and non-technical factors such as weather.”

Indonesia’s two matches will be held at King Abdullah Stadium, which has a 62,000-seat capacity. Under AFC rules, the away team receive only 8% of tickets, meaning Indonesia will have no more than 5,000 supporters on the stands.

The team will also face a tough schedule, playing two consecutive matches in just three days due to their FIFA ranking and seeding. Saudi Arabia and Iraq will play later, giving them more recovery time. The Indonesia vs Saudi Arabia match, originally set for 6 p.m. Riyadh time, was postponed by 2 hours and 15 minutes at Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI)’s request. The match against Iraq was also moved from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

The third concern is about referees. A Kuwaiti referee has been assigned to officiate Indonesia’s match against Saudi. PSSI has formally protested to FIFA and AFC, requesting a referee from a neutral region such as Australia, Japan, China or Europe, after controversial refereeing in the third round. In October 2024, an Omani referee allowed excessive added time, enabling Bahrain to score a late equalizer. The decision drew widespread criticism from Indonesian fans, directed at the AFC, Oman Football Federation and Bahrain Football Federation.

Indonesia also experienced problems with team escorts in Saudi Arabia, arriving late for a stadium match during the third round. This time, PSSI has sent an advance team to coordinate hotels, security and transportation, ensuring Kluivert and his squad can focus fully on competing.