The Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia, Marc Gerritsen, dreams of seeing the Indonesian national team face the Dutch national team at the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada next year.
"So, what we hope is that the Indonesian national team, the Garuda team, will qualify for next year's World Cup in America," Gerritsen said in an exclusive interview with ANTARA at My Futsal in South Jakarta on Wednesday.
"And we also hope the Netherlands will qualify. My dream is that the Netherlands and Indonesia will face each other on the world stage," he said.
Both teams are currently battling to qualify, with Indonesia set to play in the fourth round of the Asian qualifying tournament next month against Saudi Arabia and Iraq in Group B.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands are currently struggling in the European qualifying rounds, leading Group G with 10 points from four matches. These points came from three wins and one draw.
When asked further if there was a chance for Indonesia to meet the Netherlands in a FIFA Match Day match, Gerritsen said, "As the Dutch ambassador to Indonesia, I really hope the Netherlands will come to Indonesia one day. I will try my best."
"Indonesian fans are indeed some of the most enthusiastic. And I've noticed that the Netherlands also has a lot of supporters here. So, it's going to be a great match with two big fan bases," he said of the potential atmosphere that will be created when Indonesia and the Netherlands meet.
Meanwhile, the opportunity for Indonesia and the Netherlands to meet in the round ball sport has only just arisen in the world of futsal, when the two countries will face each other in the 2025 AQUA Futsal Four Nations Cup tournament held at the GBK Basketball Hall.
