The Socceroos have been handed a tough draw for the first decisive phase of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, landing in the same group as Japan and Saudi Arabia for the third cycle in a row.
While they avoided the logistical nightmare of a potential trip to North Korea, fate has instead delivered Australia a very familiar outcome, pitting them against the two Asian heavyweights in Group C, as well as Bahrain, China and Indonesia.
Graham Arnold’s men will open their campaign on home soil on September 5 against Bahrain and then travel to face Indonesia five days later, with critical showdowns against Japan (October 15, away), the Saudis (November 14, home) to come before the end of the year.
Only the top two teams will confirm their spots at the 2026 tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico - but unlike previous qualification campaigns, there are still two more opportunities to qualify for teams who don’t make the cut in this round due to the World Cup’s expansion to 48 teams.
The Socceroos finished third in their group in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, behind both Japan and Saudi Arabia, which forced them into the intercontinental play-offs. If they finish third again here, they would then progress into the fourth round, where another two direct berths will be up for grabs - and even if they fall short in that phase, there is an additional round where a ninth team from Asia will have the chance to qualify against a team from another confederation.
The new format did promise an easier draw for Australia, but Saudi Arabia’s recent slide down the FIFA rankings saw them drawn from pot three, making them a dangerous floater who Arnold would have been eager to avoid.
Australia did not beat Japan or Saudi Arabia in any of their four attempts during the last cycle, home or away. They fell 2-1 to the Samurai Blue in Saitama, scrapped a 0-0 draw at home against the Saudis, and then fell 2-0 to Japan in Sydney - the team’s first loss in a live home World Cup qualifier in almost 40 years, and a result which almost cost Arnold his job.
But with an exciting crop of players coming through, and newfound depth within the national team ranks, there is still reason to be confident about what lies ahead - particular given Saudi Arabia’s struggles under manager Roberto Mancini, having suffered a 2-1 defeat to Jordan in Riyadh earlier this month.
No such concerns revolve around the other three teams in the group. The Socceroos have never lost to Bahrain or Indonesia, and while they have lost only twice to China in the last 40 years, one was a dead-rubber World Cup qualifier, and the other was a match at the 2013 East Asian Cup, to which Australia brought a heavily depleted and highly experimental squad.
Australia’s clash with Indonesia in September is expected to take place in Surabaya because Pope Francis is visiting Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, which is the national team’s usual venue in Jakarta.