Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Indonesian National Team will cover a closer distance when competing against China in the match 2026 World Cup Qualification in Qingdao, Tuesday (15/10) compared to the home team itself.
The Indonesian national team played two away matches in a series of 2026 World Cup Qualification matches in October. After playing Bahrain on Thursday (10/10), Indonesia will play China in Qingdao five days later.
The distance from Riffa, where the Bahrain vs Indonesia duel will take place, to Qingdao is 6,599km. This distance is quite far, especially considering that Qingdao is not the capital so flights to get there must take several stops.
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
This is what then encouraged PSSI to use charter planes to facilitate the process of transferring players from Bahrain to China. By using a charter plane, the Indonesian National Team can shorten travel time and does not need to make transit.
Interestingly, the distance the Indonesian National Team traveled to Qingdao was actually shorter than the distance China had to travel when returning to Qingdao. Before hosting Indonesia, China will first travel to face Australia in Adelaide.
Based on distance, Adelaide to Qingdao is 8,112 km. This distance is around 1,500 km longer than the distance needed by Indonesia to get to Qingdao.
One other interesting note is that China went to Australia on a commercial plane. Some reports even state that China sits in the economic class.
If the same situation occurs again, of course China will have a tiring journey to return home. This could be an advantage for the Indonesian National Team in terms of player fitness.
[Gambas:Video CNN]
(rrr)