Indonesia Got Japan, Qatar and Thailand. Can They Survive?

The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be played in Saudi Arabia from 7 January to 5 February 2027: 24 teams, six groups of four, with the top two in each group and the four best third-placed teams going through. At the draw in Diriyah on 9 May 2026, Indonesia (Pot 4, 122nd in the April FIFA ranking) were drawn into Group F: Japan first, then Qatar, then Thailand. Japan have won the Asian Cup four times; Indonesia's last win over them came in 1981. Qatar won the last two Asian Cups — and they were the opponent when Indonesia won an Asian Cup game for the very first time: 2–1 in Beijing on 18 July 2004, still their only win in nine meetings. Thailand lost the first FIFA ASEAN Cup final to Indonesia on penalties (2–2, 4–2) at Gelora Bung Karno on 5 October 2026. Indonesia went out in the group stage in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2007. In 2023 they were the last team into the round of 16, after Kyrgyzstan and Oman drew 1–1, and lost 4–0 to Australia. PSSI now wants a quarter-final; John Herdman's official target is to get out of the group. The final against Thailand:    • The Team Indonesia Built 11,000 km Away Ju...   57 Seconds — how Indonesia reached that final:    • Indonesia Were Winning 7–2 and Still Going...   How far will Indonesia go? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe for more stories like this. Chapters: 00:00 Japan, Qatar, Thailand 00:32 The draw 02:12 Three opponents 03:32 The first win 04:40 The last ticket 05:43 The new Indonesia 07:07 The target Sources: Al Jazeera, ESPN (May 2026); AFC (Jan 2024); VnExpress (May 2026); MetroTV, CNN Indonesia, detik (Oct 2026); ANTARA (May 2026); ASEAN Football on X; Wikipedia. Group F match dates still differ between sources, so only the order of games is given. Photos: Wikimedia Commons (credits below). 3D globe: Goalden Sport, NASA 'Earth at Night' (public domain). Graphics: Goalden Sport. Thumbnails: real photos. King Fahd International Stadium 2020s.jpg · Meshari Alawfi · CC BY 4.0 King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 2014.jpg · على المزارقه · CC BY-SA 3.0 Jawhara Stadium.jpg · saudipics · CC BY-SA 4.0 Kingdom Arena.jpg · بندر الساري · CC0 King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2026.jpg · Unknown authorUnknown author · CC BY-SA 4.0 AFC Asian Cup at Fed Square.jpg · SuperJew · CC BY-SA 4.0 Group photo of Indonesia national football team.jpg · BPMI Sekretariat Presiden/Muchlis Jr · Public domain Stadion Gelora Bung Karno, 5 Oktober 2026.jpg · Daddynnoob · CC0 AFC Asian Cup - Indonesia vs Iraq - 6.jpg · Timnas Indonesia · CC BY 3.0 AFC Asian Cup - Australia v Indonesia - 8.jpg · Timnas Indonesia (YouTube) · CC BY 3.0 AFC Asian Cup - Japan v Indonesia - 5321.jpg · Timnas Indonesia (YouTube) · CC BY 3.0 AFC Asian Cup - Japan v Indonesia - 5322.jpg · Timnas Indonesia (YouTube) · CC BY 3.0 AFC Asian Cup - Japan v Indonesia - 5323.jpg · Timnas Indonesia (YouTube) · CC BY 3.0 Elkan Baggott - AFC Asian Cup 2023.png · Timnas Indonesia · CC BY 3.0 Japan-vs-Thailand-Football-International-Friendly-Match--2024-01-01 5228.jpg · RuinDig/Yuki Uchida · CC BY 4.0 Japan-vs-Thailand-Football-International-Friendly-Match--2024-01-01 0329.jpg · RuinDig/Yuki Uchida · CC BY 4.0 2022 FIFA World Cup Germany 1–2 Japan - (18).jpg · حسین ظهروند · CC BY 4.0 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Asia Cup 2007.jpg · Gunawan Kartapranata · CC BY-SA 3.0 La Grande Indonesia at the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup final.jpg · BPMI Sekretariat Presiden/Laily Rachev · Public domain John Herdman WC2022.jpg · Hossein Zohrevand · CC BY 4.0 Emil Audero (Indonesia-China 5 June 2025).jpg · BPMI Sekretariat Presiden/Muchlis Jr · Public domain Jay Idzes (Indonesia-China 5 June 2025).jpg · BPMI Sekretariat Presiden/Muchlis Jr · Public domain Kevin Diks (Indonesia-Bahrain 25 March 2025).jpg · BPMI Sekretariat Presiden/Muchlis Jr · Public domain Elkan Baggott 01082026 (6).jpg · Timmy96 · CC0 Indonesia-Bahrain 25 March 2025 03.jpg · BPMI Sekretariat Presiden/Rusman · Public domain Indonesia-China 5 June 2025 03.jpg · BPMI Sekretariat Presiden/Muchlis Jr · Public domain Indonesia-China 5 June 2025 13.jpg · BPMI Sekretariat Presiden/Muchlis Jr · Public domain Indonesia-Bahrain 25 March 2025 17.jpg · BPMI Sekretariat Presiden/Rusman · Public domain Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno, 5 Oktober 2026.jpg · Daddynnoob · CC0 Canada national football team WC2022.jpg · Hossein Zohrevand · CC BY 4.0 Indonesia vs. China (AFC Asian Qualifiers Road to 26).jpg · BPMI Sekretariat Presiden/Muchlis Jr · Public domain Jakarta skyline at dusk from Central Jakarta, Indonesia.jpg · Secretdriver · CC BY-SA 4.0 Qatar v Japan – AFC Asian Cup 2019 final 05.jpg · Parto Joghataee · CC BY 4.0 Qatar v Japan – AFC Asian Cup 2019 final 20.jpg · Parto Joghataee · CC BY 4.0 #TimnasIndonesia #Indonesia #AsianCup2027 #PialaAsia2027 #Football