Forget Japan, Indonesia must now be Australia’s biggest rivals in Asia. A potentially productive partnership is set to move to a new level on Thursday with a crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier to be played in Sydney. The soaring Samurai Blue are so far ahead – in all aspects – that they will surely become the first team to secure a spot in North America this week, enabling them to look down serenely at the fierce fight going on far below. Japan are setting the standard for the rest of Asia to follow and on that lengthy quest, Indonesia are valuable travelling companions for Australia.
A look at Group C is testament to that. After six games played of 10, Japan are nine points clear. Just one point, however, separates the Socceroos in second and China at the bottom in sixth. With the first automatic spot already long gone, there is a fierce five-way fight for the other. But there is another route to qualification – those in third and fourth advance to another stage to play off for the two remaining places in this expanded 48-team tournament.
