Inp.polri.go.id - Osaka.  Indonesia’s national football team head coach Patrick Kluivert said that his team will approach their final Group C match in the third round of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers against Japan with full seriousness, despite both teams having already secured advancement.

“This is a serious match. We’re playing away against the group leader, a team that has already qualified for the World Cup. So we must play our game,” he said during a pre-match press conference in Osaka on Monday (9//6/2025), as quoted by antaranews.com.

The match, scheduled for Tuesday at Suita City Stadium, will not affect the standings: Japan has qualified for the 2026 finals, and Indonesia has advanced to the fourth qualifying round.

Coach Kluivert acknowledged the difficulty of the fixture but stressed its importance for testing the squad’s mentality and tactics.

“We’re confident. Japan is a top-quality, highly competitive team, but we’re ready to give our best,” he added.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)