Jakarta. Indonesia will face Saudi Arabia and Iraq in Group B of the fourth round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers following a draw held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday.

Group A consists of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.

In the seeding for this round, Qatar (ranked 53rd in FIFA) and Saudi Arabia (58) were placed in Pot 1, while Iraq (59) and the UAE (66) were in Pot 2. Oman (79) and Indonesia (118) were in Pot 3.

Indonesia advanced to the fourth round after finishing fourth in their third-round group, securing a crucial 1-0 victory over China at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on June 5. Indonesia ended the round with 12 points, just behind Saudi Arabia with 13. Japan topped the group with 23 points, followed by Australia with 19, with both securing their tickets to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. China and Bahrain were eliminated.

Japan, Australia, South Korea, Jordan, Iran, and Uzbekistan have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup from Asia, while the fourth round will determine additional Asian representatives.

The fourth round matches will take place from October 8 to 14, 2025. The opening matches will be held on October 8, followed by the second matchday on October 11, and the final group matches on October 14.

The six participating nations are divided into two groups of three, playing a round-robin tournament in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Each team will play two matches. The group winners will secure direct qualification for the World Cup, while the runners-up will face each other in a playoff. The playoff winner will then compete in an intercontinental playoff for a final spot on November 13 and 18, 2025.

Indonesia vs. Saudi Arabia Head-to-Head

Saudi Arabia has historically dominated matches against Indonesia, winning 10 of their 13 encounters. However, recent results have shown improvement for Indonesia, including a 1-1 draw in September 2024 and a 2-0 victory in November 2024 during World Cup qualifiers.

• Sept. 30, 1981: Saudi Arabia 3-1 Indonesia (Lion City Cup)

• Oct. 10, 2003: Saudi Arabia 5-0 Indonesia (AFC Asian Cup)

• July 14, 2007: Indonesia 1-2 Saudi Arabia (AFC Asian Cup)

• Sept. 5, 2024: Saudi Arabia 1-1 Indonesia (World Cup Qualifier)

• Nov. 19, 2024: Indonesia 2-0 Saudi Arabia (World Cup Qualifier)

Indonesia vs. Iraq Head-to-Head

Iraq has been a challenging opponent for Indonesia, with Indonesia failing to secure a win in their nine non-tournament encounters, earning only one draw in 1973.

• March 16, 1973: Iraq 1-1 Indonesia (World Cup Qualifier)

• Nov. 19, 2013: Indonesia 0-2 Iraq (AFC Asian Cup)

• Nov. 16, 2023: Iraq 5-1 Indonesia (World Cup Qualifier)

• June 6, 2024: Indonesia 0-2 Iraq (World Cup Qualifier)

Despite the tough record, Indonesia's narrower 1-3 loss to Iraq in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and a 0-2 result in their last meeting indicate gradual progress for the Garuda squad.

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