Australia at the FIFA World Cup 2026

FIFA ranking: 27
Group: D
Confederation: AFC
Coach: Tony Popovic
World Cup titles: 0
Best result: Round of 16 (2006, 2022)

History

Australia first appeared at the World Cup in 1974 and qualified for their sixth consecutive tournament in 2026. Their best results came at Germany 2006, where they reached the round of 16 before falling to eventual champions Italy, and again at Qatar 2022, where they defeated Tunisia and Denmark in the group stage and came close against eventual champions Argentina in the round of 16 (losing 2-1). Australia has never won the World Cup and has never advanced beyond the round of 16.

Qualification

Australia qualified directly for the 2026 World Cup through the AFC third-round qualifying, finishing second in Group C behind Japan. The Socceroos were drawn into Group C alongside Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, and Indonesia. A key result was Australia's 1-0 win over Japan in Perth on June 5, 2025, secured by a last-minute Aziz Behich penalty. This was Australia's first direct World Cup qualification since 2014, ending reliance on inter-confederation playoffs, and represents their sixth consecutive finals appearance.

Preparation

Tony Popovic, appointed head coach in September 2024, ran the Socceroos' pre-tournament camp in Florida before naming his final 26-man squad on 1 June 2026. In the last pre-announcement warm-up, Australia lost 1-0 to co-hosts Mexico at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on 30 May, Johan Vasquez heading the only goal in front of 78,479 fans; Mohamed Toure missed a good first-half chance. The Socceroos play one more friendly, against Switzerland, on 6 June at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, then base themselves in the Bay Area. Australia open their World Cup on 13 June in Santa Clara.

Latest news

Popovic names final 26-man Socceroos squad, the second-youngest ever

Mon 1 Jun · squad

Tony Popovic named Australia's final 26-player World Cup squad on 1 June, submitted to FIFA by the deadline. With an average age of 26.8 it is the second-youngest Socceroos World Cup squad ever (behind 2014), featuring 17 tournament debutants and eight players aged 23 or under. Five A-Leagues-based players were included.

footballaustralia.com.au · 2026-06-02
espn.com · 2026-06-02

Uncapped Volpato and Yengi selected; Boyle, Gauci, Rowles and Borrello miss out

Mon 1 Jun · squad

Two uncapped players made the squad: Sassuolo's Cristian Volpato, who switched allegiance from Italy in May 2026, and Machida Zelvia striker Tete Yengi, who only joined camp on 26 May. Forward Martin Boyle, goalkeeper Joe Gauci, defender Kye Rowles and forward Brandon Borrello were the notable omissions.

sen.com.au · 2026-06-02
canberratimes.com.au · 2026-06-02
en.wikipedia.org · 2026-06-02

Mexico 1-0 Australia in final pre-squad friendly at the Rose Bowl

Sat 30 May · matches

Australia lost 1-0 to co-hosts Mexico in a friendly at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on 30 May, a day before the squad announcement. Johan Vasquez headed the only goal in the 28th minute before 78,479 fans. Mathew Leckie (first start since Nov 2024) and Harry Souttar (first appearance since Dec 2024) returned, and 18-year-old Lucas Herrington started in the back three.

espn.com · 2026-06-02

Squad

Player	Position	Club
Mathew Ryan	GK	Levante
Paul Izzo	GK	Randers FC
Patrick Beach	GK	Melbourne City
Milos Degenek	DF	APOEL FC
Harry Souttar	DF	Leicester City
Cameron Burgess	DF	Swansea City
Aziz Behich	DF	Melbourne City
Jordan Bos	DF	Feyenoord
Alessandro Circati	DF	Parma
Kai Trewin	DF	New York City FC
Jason Geria	DF	Albirex Niigata
Lucas Herrington	DF	Colorado Rapids
Jacob Italiano	DF	Grazer AK
Jackson Irvine	MF	St. Pauli
Connor Metcalfe	MF	St. Pauli
Ajdin Hrustic	MF	Heracles Almelo
Aiden O'Neill	MF	New York City FC
Cameron Devlin	MF	Heart of Midlothian
Paul Okon-Engstler	MF	Sydney FC
Nestory Irankunda	FW	Watford
Mathew Leckie	FW	Melbourne City
Awer Mabil	FW	CD Castellón
Nishan Velupillay	FW	Melbourne Victory
Cristian Volpato	FW	Sassuolo
Mohamed Toure	FW	Norwich City
Tete Yengi	FW	Machida Zelvia