The tropical adventures of Jordi Cruyff and Patrick Kluivert

BarcelonaIn 1938, the Dutch East Indies became the first Asian team to compete in a World Cup. After almost a century without appearing in the finals of the world's most important international tournament, and now competing under the name Indonesia, the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) has set an ambitious goal: qualifying for the 2026 edition, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. To make this possible, they have enlisted Patrick Kluivert as their national team coach until 2027. The former Barça player took over this January, with four matches of the third qualifying round still remaining. "Everyone knows we have four matches left, four finals, and we have to achieve what we want to achieve," said the Dutch coach on the day of his presentation, referring to the country's aspirations of competing in the World Cup.

Six months after Kluivert's presentation, the Indonesian national team maintains its chances of qualifying intact. During this period, the federation has strengthened the coaching staff with the addition of Jordi Cruyff as a technical advisor to bring more experience to the project. "We have to try to grow by detecting talent at a very early age to have a much better national team in the future. Football isn't just about the pitch; it also depends on strategic decisions to get the most out of it in the future," Cruyff confessed last March, when he signed with the Asian national team.

At the head of the PSSI is Erick Thohir, president of the federation and one of the most influential figures in sports in the country. Despite being a businessman, he has always been linked to the world of sports, having become president and owner of Inter Milan. He currently also owns Oxford United, a team in the English Second Division. Thohir has been the driving force behind the Indonesian football project, and he has been the one who has backed renowned names such as Kluivert and Cruyff. "In the short term, our goal is to reach the top 100 in the world rankings. If we continue to build our national teams from the ground up, in the long term we want to qualify for a World Cup not as hosts, but as participants," the president stated after hosting the U-17 World Cup. He has naturalized Dutch players to strengthen the squad.

In addition, Kluivert's team has strengthened its roster by naturalizing several players born outside the country but with Indonesian roots. The majority are players born in the Netherlands, with family origins in Indonesia—a former Dutch colony—who have trained in football in the European country. Some of them have even played in the youth teams of the Dutch national team.orange as is the case of goalkeeper Maarten Paes (FC Dallas) or midfielder Thom Haye (Almere City).

Another of the most prominent names in the national team is Jordi Amat. The center-back, born in Canet de Mar and with a past at clubs such as Espanyol, Betis, Rayo Vallecano, and Swansea, was an international with all the youth categories of the Spanish national team, but never found a place in the senior team. Thanks to his grandmother's Indonesian roots, he ended up becoming a citizen of the Southeast Asian country and made his debut with the national team in December 2022. In addition, Amat not only has the privilege of representing the country's senior team as a footballer, he also holds the noble title of rajà from his grandfather.

Indonesia's chances of qualifying for the next World Cup remain intact.

With just one matchday remaining in the third qualifying round, Indonesia sits fourth in its group with 12 points—thanks to its recent 1-0 victory over China last Thursday—a position that grants access to the fourth round of World Cup qualifying. In this new qualifying round, Kluivert's team will play a group stage against two other Asian teams, and a first-place finish would grant them a direct ticket to the World Cup. A second-place finish would grant them access to the fifth round, where they would face the second-place team from the other group in the Asian group stage. Should they also advance to this round, they would have their World Cup spot at stake in the intercontinental playoff. Qualifying for the tournament would undoubtedly be a historic milestone for the country, which currently holds 123rd place in the FIFA rankings.