Tim Cahill’s warning for misfiring Socceroos – and his non-negotiable demand at home

With four matches to go, Australia’s World Cup qualifying chances are hanging by a thread. Often their saviour, Tim Cahill has delivered a stinging warning he hopes will save the Socceroos.

Socceroos legend Tim Cahill has warned Australia’s players they risk missing out on qualifying for next year’s FIFA World Cup if they underestimate Asian opponents they are expected to easily beat.

The Socceroos have qualified for every men’s World Cup since 2006 but are struggling to secure a place for 2026, despite currently sitting second in their six team qualifying group.

With four matches to go, the bottom five teams are separated by a single point, so the Socceroos are now under intense pressure to get maximum points in Thursday’s qualifier against Indonesia at Allianz Stadium.

Tim Cahill has issued a warning to the current Socceroos not to get complacent in their World Cup qualifications. Picture: Getty

The Socceroos are unbackable favourites to win but Cahill, who now works as a technical director for the Qatar Federation, said Australia can’t afford any complacency and winning at home should be “non-negotiable.”

“This will be a big challenge,” Cahill said.

“They’ll come to Australia fearless.

“There’s no easy ones now in Asia, everyone’s started to stand beside each other. It’s not just Australia and Japan.”

Australia’s all-time leading male goalscorer, Cahill helped the Socceroos reach four World Cups but says it was never easy or straightforward.

Tim Cahill came to Australia’s rescue in World Cup qualifying frequently. Picture: Getty

In 2006, when the Socceroos were still part of the Oceania federation, they famously had to beat South American giants Uruguay in a penalty shootout to make it.

Then in 2018, Australia had to beat Syria in extra time in a nerve-racking Asian continental playoff.

“Am I expecting Australia to qualify? Well, I’d like to think so, because we qualified for the last five,” Cahill said.

“I’ve been part of four World Cup qualifications as a player, and I’ll tell you now, I never took it for granted. There wasn’t one easy qualification for me, or for us.

“I’ve been through the hard way twice. It didn’t make a difference whether I was 24 years old or 36 years old when I scored those two goals against Syria, 37.”

Australia need to make the most of their home advantage against Indonesia. Picture: Getty

Although Cahill is currently not involved with the Socceroos because of his role with the Qatar academy Aspire, he still retains a close relationship with the national federation.

He was appointed as the Socceroos’ head of delegation at the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar and played alongside Tony Popovic, who replaced Graham Arnold as head coach after the Australian team’s poor start to the third round of Asian qualifying.

Despite sitting in second spot behind Japan, with the top two qualifying automatically, the Socceroos have won just one of their first six games, recording four draws including a scoreless tie with Indonesia at Jakarta in September.

With the Socceroos set to play away to China four days after hosting Indonesia, the pressure is on Popovic to win at home this week but Cahill is confident he can deliver.

“I played with ‘Popa’, so I also know that he’s very committed, he doesn’t take a step back,” Cahill said.

Coach Tony Popovic will steel the Socceroos for their home stand. Picture: Getty

“But at the same time he’s coming into a real difficult task against countries like Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, China, Bahrain, that are top, top level.

“When you’re playing at home, you expect to get the better result in my opinion. So nine times out of ten we were always very confident to win at home to play in the biggest stadiums or the biggest crowds.

“That was a non-negotiable for me as a player. It was always the influence of being in big stadiums, big crowds, fans support and you just can’t take anything for granted.

“You need the same preparation, the same respect to the opponent, because you can’t just go out and let the game take care of itself, because the game will own you.

“That’s the problem now in the footballing world, teams sit with a low block. (It’s) very difficult to break down which means there needs to be more intensity, more pace and not this slow sluggish movements because the other team will just wait, hit you on the counter, game over.

“That’s the way to play the game because that’s the way the game’s gone and it’s for the biggest prize in the world. It’s for a space in the 2026 World Cup.”

Originally published as Tim Cahill’s warning for misfiring Socceroos – and his non-negotiable demand at home