The Indonesia of coach Patrick Kluivert suffered a painful defeat against Japan on Tuesday in the qualifying series for the 2026 World Cup. The Dutch-tinted team lost 6-0 in Suita.
At halftime, Indonesia was already 3-0 down against Japan, with Sparta attacker Shunsuke Mito making his international debut. In his first minutes in the Japanese shirt, the left winger immediately provided an assist for the 1-0. He was substituted after an hour.
For Japan, ranked number fifteen in the world, Daichi Kamada was the main man with two goals. Kodai Sano of NEC played for half an hour as a substitute. Indonesia, ranked number 123 in the FIFA rankings, did not have a single shot on goal.
For Indonesia, the defeat has no consequences. The country was already out of the race for a direct World Cup ticket before the match, as it will not finish in the top two countries in the group. Indonesia must try to win the starting ticket in October via the play-offs. Japan is certain of participation in the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico as group winner.
The punishment in the Japanese city of Suita is already the second heavy defeat for Kluivert as coach of Indonesia. The former Orange international began his World Cup mission in March with a 5-1 defeat against Australia. This was followed by victories over Bahrain (1-0) and China (1-0).
Indonesia has never qualified for a World Cup as an independent country. The Indonesian federation has attracted several Dutch players to achieve this. Among others, Mees Hilgers (FC Twente), Thom Haye (Almere City) and Ole Romeny (Oxford United) play for Indonesia.