What once seemed a mere fantasy remains a very achievable target.
With two more match days to go in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, underdogs Indonesia remain firmly in the hunt.
If not in possession of one of two automatic berths from this stage, then at least a real chance to progress to the next round of qualifying.
The fact that Japan have been completely dominant in Group C means they have already booked their ticket by being assured of a top-two finish.
Everything else remains up in the air with none of the other five teams out of the running just yet.
So, while Indonesia currently sit in fourth place, how can they keep their World Cup dreams alive over the next week or so?
Where Indonesia stand
Indonesia may be fourth but are just four points behind second-placed Australia. Saudi Arabia, currently sitting in third spot, are just a point ahead of the Indonesians.
At the bottom end of the standings, Bahrain and China are both three points adrift of Indonesia on six points. Both can still finish inside the top four and advance to the fourth round of qualifying.
What is ahead of Indonesia
On Thursday, Indonesia welcome China to Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, with the 77,193-capacity arena always a daunting venue for visiting teams -- especially when it is filled out for national team matches.
Based on form, Indonesia should be looking to win this one and they will also have extra incentive to do so -- given it was the Chinese who surprisingly inflicted a first defeat on them in the current stage of qualifying.
After Indonesia had raised eyebrows with stirring draws against Saudi Arabia and Australia, they were unlucky to be denied a victory against Bahrain after conceding a 99th-minute equaliser.
Considering China had suffered three consecutive losses to start their campaign -- conceding a staggering 12 goals while scoring just two in the process -- they looked ripe for the picking when both teams last met in October, only to pull off a 2-1 win over the Indonesians.
Revenge will be on Indonesia's mind but, more importantly, victory over the Chinese is all the more crucial given the former will finish the third round with a massive test away to Japan next Tuesday.
Having already qualified, Japan will use the opportunity to blood some inexperienced prospects -- which has been highlighted by coach Hajime Moriyasu's squad selection of 20 players with less than ten caps to their names, including eight yet to make their senior international debut.
Still, there is plenty of experience for Japan to call upon in the form of captain Wataru Endō, coming off the high of winning the Premier League with Liverpool, Real Sociedad star Takefusa Kubo, newly-crowned FA Cup champion Daichi Kamada of Crystal Palace and 142-capped Yūto Nagatomo.
Indonesia will undoubtedly be looking for the win even when they come up against Japan although a draw could be the most realistic target, especially given they suffered an emphatic 4-0 defeat in their previous meeting.
They need to avoid a scenario where they head to Osaka needing maximum points to stand any chance of progress.
How Indonesia can qualify automatically
Should Indonesia claim victories in their next two games, they will finish on 15 points.
Given Australia are currently on 13 points, both teams could finish level if the Socceroos finish with two draws but it must be noted that Indonesia currently have a far inferior head-to-head goal difference of 13.
There is a realistic prospect that the Australians lose both given they have an incredibly tough finish with games against Japan and Saudi Arabia.
That could however bring Saudi Arabia into the picture.
Saudi Arabia will be favourites to beat Bahrain on Thursday, although they were held to a 0-0 draw at home when the two sides previously faced off in October.
Even if the Green Falcons are held by Bahrain, victory over Australia would also give them a real chance of finishing ahead of Indonesia.
To simplify matters, the likeliest scenario that could see Indonesia seal a top-two finish is as follows:
Beat China and draw with Japan to finish on 13 points.
Australia lose to both Japan and Saudi Arabia to also finish on 13 points, with the margin of those defeats -- and Indonesia's win over China -- enough to overturn the 13-goal goal-difference deficit.
Given Indonesia need Saudi Arabia to beat Australia, they will also then require the Green Falcons to lose to Bahrain and finish on 13 points -- while also hoping to make up a four-goal goal-difference deficit.
Evidently, Indonesia might still need to defeat both China and Japan in order to really stand a chance.
What happens if Indonesia miss out on the top two
Should Indonesia and Saudi Arabia beat China and Bahrain respectively on Thursday, the latter two will be eliminated. Indonesia and Saudi Arabia would be assured of a spot in the next round of qualifying at the very least, which is something Australia have already achieved.
With Saudi Arabia and Bahrain destined to take points off each other, victory over China would put Indonesia in a strong position to secure a top-four finish.
If Indonesia are to finish third or fourth, they will be one of six nations to progress to the next round of the Asian qualifiers -- where teams will then be drawn into two groups of three.
From there, the two group winners will secure automatic tickets to the World Cup, while the runners-up with face off over two legs in the fifth round.
The victors of that tie will then advance to an interconfederation playoff, where they will need to win either one or two matches -- against teams from CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Carribbean), CONMEBOL (South America) or OFC (Oceania) -- to finally secure their place at the World Cup.