Socceroos’ Asian Cup preparations to include a September date with Mexico

Graham Arnold’s Socceroos will get an early glimpse of a 2026 FIFA World Cup venue when they take on Mexico in September.

The Socceroos will take on Mexico in September. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

The Socceroos will get an early feel for a 2026 FIFA World Cup venue when they meet Mexico in Dallas in September.

The match will be played on September 9 at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium, which will used the next World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.

“The players are really looking forward to the opportunity to test themselves against Mexico, but also get acquainted with the environment in the United States as we begin to build towards 2026,” Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said.

“The experience for the players and the knowledge we’ll obtain from a technical perspective, puts us in an excellent position so early for the next World Cup cycle.”

Graham Arnold and his Socceroos will head to Dallas in September to meet Mexico. Picture: WANG Zhao / AFP

Arnold said playing against Mexico, who are No.14 in FIFA world rankings, would further add to the Socceroos’ thorough preparations for the start of World Cup qualifiers in November and next year’s Asian Cup in Qatar.

Since last year’s World Cup in Qatar, the Socceroos have taken on Ecuador and world champions Argentina, and also have October matches scheduled against England and New Zealand.

“It says a lot about the way our performance in Qatar has changed perceptions of Australian football globally, as we continue to be sought out to play games against highly regarded opposition,” Arnold said.

“It’s exciting to see these opportunities becoming regularly available to the Socceroos off the back of tireless work from our players, support staff and the federation.

“The benefit of these sort of match minutes for our current squad are significant and continue to raise the profile of our national team, creating future opportunities that can be realised right along our development pathway.”