The former Barcelona and Newcastle striker has been named Indonesia's new coach at a crucial moment in the third round of qualifying.
With four matches remaining, Indonesia currently sit third in the six-team group, just one point behind second-placed Australia. The tournament format sees the top two teams qualify directly, with the third and fourth-placed teams advancing to the next stage in Asia.
Kluivert is set to debut on March 20 in a crucial head-to-head against Australia in Sydney. Five days later, Indonesia will host Bahrain in Jakarta, before closing out the group in June with matches against China and leaders Japan, who currently seem untouchable.
"My goal is to qualify for the World Cup, so the first two games are crucial for us," Kluivert said in his presentation press conference.
"We have to be strong against Australia and then do the same against Bahrain. We are aiming to get at least four points from these two games, although obviously the main goal is to get the full points. However, we have a lot of respect for our opponents."