Socceroos to take on world’s best

Despite its impressive junior program for boys and girls, soccer is still Australian sports fans’ fourth football code behind AFL, rugby league and rugby union. But just as success and big personalities ignited interest in the Matildas, the Socceroos’ 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico could do the same for them. It followed their 1-0 defeat of Japan in Perth last week. The team’s following is already strong among diehard Australian fans of the world’s largest sport, which has 3.5 billion followers in more than 200 countries.

The win in Jeddah took Australia to our sixth consecutive World Cup since the first breakthrough qualification in 2006. Among the Aussie players that year was Tony Popovic, who was appointed head coach of the current team in September 2024. Captain and goalkeeper Mat Ryan – who played his 100th game for the national team in Jeddah, saving a penalty in the 85th minute – said Popovic’s “passion” was what would inspire the team ahead of next year’s World Cup. His appointment came at a difficult time, when the Socceroos had made a poor start to the Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-0 loss to Bahrain and a 0-0 draw with Indonesia. He brushed aside the negativity, insisting any time to take over the national team was an honour and a privilege “and I can’t wait to get to work”.

That will be the story for the next year as momentum builds behind the Socceroos as they prepare to take their place on the World Cup pitches as one of the best teams in the world.