Indonesia Captain: 'I still dream of leading the national team to the World Cup'

Defender Jay Idzes confirms he continues to nurture the dream of representing Indonesia at the World Cup, seeing the setback in the 2026 qualifying rounds as fuel to push forward and develop.

Defender Jay Idzes asserts that he still dreams of helping Indonesia reach the World Cup finals, even though the 2026 World Cup dream ended with defeat in the Asian qualifiers.

Indonesia’s team was eliminated in the fourth round of qualifiers after failing to compete with strong opponents Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Nevertheless, Jay Idzes, a center-back currently playing for Serie A club Sassuolo, said he remains confident about the future of Indonesian football.

“My dream is to play in the World Cup with the national team, which would be amazing. As I have said, the key is to maintain discipline every day, keep working hard and fighting even if the results are not yet what we hope for. You must always persevere, and I believe that is essential,” Idzes shared.

The 25-year-old also spoke about his career journey from making his professional debut at 17 in the Netherlands, to helping Venezia gain promotion to Serie A, and then moving to Sassuolo to continue his development.

“I work hard every day to achieve my goals. Step by step: from youth teams, to the senior squad, then to the national championship. At Venezia, I had the chance to win Serie B and compete in Serie A. Now at Sassuolo, I want to keep improving and contribute to the Indonesian national team,” Idzes added.

Although the path to the World Cup is still long, Jay Idzes insists he will never give up on that dream. With a generation of players competing in Europe and Indonesian football becoming more professional, the World Cup dream may no longer be so distant.