7M - John Herdman warns of Bulgaria threat as Garuda reach FIFA Series 2026 final

Indonesia secured their place in the FIFA Series 2026 final with a dominant 4-0 victory over St Kitts and Nevis at Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta on Friday March 27 2026. Beckham Putra opened the scoring in the 15th minute before adding a second in the 25th. Ole Romeny extended the lead in the 53rd minute and Mauro Zijstra completed the rout in the 75th.

The Garuda squad will face Bulgaria in the championship match on Monday March 30 after the European side recorded a 10-2 win against Solomon Islands at the same venue earlier on Friday. Head coach John Herdman highlighted the contrasting preparation styles noting that Bulgaria faced an open attacking opponent while Indonesia dealt with a compact defensive setup from St Kitts and Nevis.

The English born manager emphasized the need for sharper focus from the opening whistle against Bulgaria. Herdman observed that his team took approximately fifteen minutes to fully connect during the semi-final victory with players occasionally acting individually in the early stages.

"If we do that against Bulgaria we will be finished within the first ten minutes Herdman stated. They will overwhelm us. The players understand we must stick to our tactical plan from minute one. We cannot wait ten to fifteen minutes to find our rhythm. Starting with better mentality and concentration in the opening quarter is essential or we will be punished."