Indonesia

Failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup brings an end to Patrick Kluivert's time as head coach of the Southeast Asian nation

- John Duerden

Patrick Kluivert’s appointment as Indonesia head coach in January was met with a lukewarm reception, and there was little outcry over his departure nine months later. What happened in between means that the Dutchman still faces a challenge in getting some of the glitter from his outstanding playing CV to transfer across to his coaching resume.

It's easy to see why the 49-year-old ex-Ajax, Milan and Barcelona forward took the job. The local passion was evident in November 2024 as more than 55,000 supporters inside the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta celebrated a shock 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia, an Asian powerhouse, in a vital World Cup qualifier. It really did seem as if Team Garuda could make next summer's tournament, a first appearance since the country became independent of the Netherlands in 1945.

The team had moved on from its long-held ambition to win the AFF Championship, a Southeast Asian trophy that had gone to Bangkok, Hanoi, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur but never Jakarta. Indonesia had been in the final no less than six times (out of 15 in total) but had always had to watch others celebrating. Suddenly, the goal had changed; why settle for regional superiority when you could become the first ASEAN team to play at the World Cup for almost 90 years?