Jakarta. Indonesia’s hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup came to an end after a 1–0 defeat to Iraq in their second Group B qualifier at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Saturday night.

The result marked the team’s second consecutive loss under Dutch coach Patrick Kluivert, following a 3–2 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening match. With two losses from two games, Indonesia finished bottom of Group B, ending their campaign and extinguishing their World Cup ambitions.

The disappointment quickly spilled onto social media, where frustrated fans vented under the hashtags #KluivertOut and #PatrickOut. As of late Saturday, more than 30,000 posts on platform X carried the tags, many criticizing both the coach and the national football association (PSSI).

“This is what happens when you hire someone with no actual employment as a coach. PSSI is to blame,” wrote a user named Ary.

Another fan posted a photo of Kluivert with PSSI chairman Erick Thohir, captioned sarcastically: “Thank you for destroying our dream.”

Despite the disappointment, Indonesia’s progress to Round 4 of the Asian qualifiers marked a historic achievement for the team -- reflecting steady development in Southeast Asia’s emerging football landscape, even as fans call for renewed leadership ahead of future tournaments.

In response, Erick Thohir issued a public apology and thanked supporters for standing by the team through the qualifiers.

“Thank you to all supporters, players, and officials for taking Indonesia to the fourth round of World Cup qualification,” he said. “It’s the first time in our history we’ve reached this stage. We apologize that the dream of playing in the World Cup has not yet been realized.”

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