AFC Qualifiers: Indonesia Pip China, Keep FIFA World Cup 2026 Dream Alive

Indonesia vs China: Indonesia’s hope to make it to their first ever FIFA World Cup is alive as their national football team defeated China in a qualifying match in Jakarta on Thursday.

The host defeated China 1-0 to move to third in Group C of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. 

Oli Romeny scored the only goal of Thursday’s game from the penalty spot.  The spot kick was awarded after Yang Zexiang brought down Ricky Kambuaya on the stroke of half-time. It dealt a blow to the Chinese, whose defence was mounting pressure on the hosts, given the expectations on them.

Both teams started cautiously, relying primarily on counter-attacks and direct passes. Indonesia had the first opportunity in the second minute, when Ricky Kambuaya fired a shot from 26 meters, narrowly missing the target. China responded minutes later with a promising attack, but Wang Yudong’s attempt went wide.

The hosts gradually took control of possession, and in the 25th minute, striker Ole Romeny missed a good chance as his shot soared over the bar following a quick breakaway. China had their moments as well, especially in the 22nd minute when a lack of communication between goalkeeper Emil Audero and captain Jay Idzes nearly gifted China a goal from a corner kick.

Indonesia finally broke the deadlock just before halftime. In the 40th minute, after a VAR review, the referee awarded Indonesia a penalty following a foul by China’s Yang Zexiang on Kambuaya. Romeny calmly stepped up and scored from the spot, igniting celebrations among tens of thousands of Indonesian fans.

China’s dream of reaching only a second World Cup in their history were shattered having won just two of their nine games in this round of Asian qualifying, losing seven

Indonesia have 12 points with one game remaining, with teams finishing third and fourth going into a further round of qualifying for 2026.

“The result is the most important thing. We are happy with the result. After this, we are going to build even more,” said Indonesia coach Kluivert, the Dutch great. “The things that we wanted to see came off in the game. I am very proud of my team.”

The Asian section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification is acting as qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for national teams of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). AFC teams have been allocated eight direct qualifying slots and one inter-confederation play-off slot.

AFC qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup: Qualified Teams

Team	Status	Notes
Japan	Qualified	Dominant 7-0 win over China
South Korea	Qualified	2-0 win vs Iraq
Jordan	Qualified	Historic 3-0 win vs Oman
Qatar	Qualified	Secured with 16 points

Group Standings (Third Round)

Group A

Team	Status
Iran	Leading, likely to qualify
Qatar	Qualified
Uzbekistan	In contention
UAE	In contention
Kyrgyzstan	In contention
North Korea	In contention

Group B

Team	Status
South Korea	Qualified
Jordan	Qualified
Iraq	In contention
Oman	In contention
Palestine	In contention
Kuwait	In contention

Group C

Team	Status
Japan	Qualified
Australia	Likely to qualify
Saudi Arabia	Must beat Australia by 5+ goals
Bahrain	In contention
China	In contention
Indonesia	In contention

Also Read: AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers: Thailand, Malaysia In Same Group; Nepal, Philippines Pooled Together

AFC qualifiers: Key upcoming fixtures

Match	Stakes
Australia vs Saudi Arabia	Crucial for Saudi Arabia’s qualification
Iraq vs Jordan	Final placement & pride (Jordan already qualified)
China vs Indonesia	Critical for 3rd and 4th spot in Group C