A crazy scenario helps Indonesia advance past the group stage of the World Cup

Despite the slim odds, Indonesia's U17 squad remains hopeful of moving past the group phase of the U17 World Cup.

Indonesian football has just secured its first-ever victory in the history of World Cup final tournaments across age groups. The 3 points against Honduras put Indonesia U17 in third place in the final standings of Group H at the U17 World Cup, trailing Brazil and Zambia by 4 points. These two teams occupy the top two spots with 7 points each.

Although finishing third, Indonesia U17 still has a chance to enter the round of 32 by surpassing eight other third-placed teams with the best records. According to the rules, group winners, runners-up, and the eight best third-placed teams from 12 groups qualify for the round of 32.

However, Indonesia’s current position is not yet secure. Based on the current rankings of the best third-placed teams, Indonesia U17 stands ninth with 3 points and a goal difference of -5, one place below the advancing group.

To reach the top 8, Indonesia must hope for favorable results in the remaining groups. The first scenario is that Paraguay U17 loses heavily to the Republic of Ireland by at least 6 goals in the last Group J match on Tuesday (11/11/2025). Paraguay currently has 3 points with a goal difference of 0.

If not Paraguay, the second hope comes from Saudi Arabia U17. This West Asian team would also need to lose by a similar margin when facing Mali U17 in the final Group L match on the same day. Additionally, Uganda U17 must defeat France U17, while Chile U17 is expected not to beat Canada U17. These combined results could place Indonesia in the top 8 out of the 12 best third-placed teams.

If all these scenarios unfold as planned, Indonesia U17 will advance to the round of 32 at the 2025 U17 World Cup, achieving an unprecedented milestone in Southeast Asia’s men’s football history. Previously, Indonesia U17 had already become the first ASEAN men's team to secure a victory in any age-group World Cup final tournament.

Related articles

FIFA exclaims after Indonesia’s first-ever World Cup win FIFA sends a special message as Indonesian football records its first World Cup victory. See more