Socceroos playmaker Daniel Arzani desperate to make right call about his club future

With next year’s FIFA World Cup looming, Socceroo Daniel Arzani wants to ensure he is playing regular club football next season.

Daniel Arzani’s desire to represent Australia at another FIFA World Cup has him desperate to ensure he makes the right choice about where he plays his club football next season.

Arzani and the Socceroos can smell 2026 World Cup qualification ahead of their clash against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Wednesday morning (AEST).

To have any chance of denying Australia a guaranteed World Cup spot from a top-two finish in Group C of the AFC’s third round of qualifiers, the Saudis must score a minimum of five goals against the Socceroos, who beat Japan 1-0 in Perth last Thursday night.

“The job isn’t done yet … and were also here representing Australia, which is not a small deal,” Arzani said from Jeddah on Sunday in stressing that the Socceroos weren’t going to take a complacent attitude into the match.

However, with the Saudis needing a miracle to claim second spot in Group C ahead of Australia, Arzani has been able to dream of going to another World Cup after playing at the tournament as a teenager in 2018 in Russia.

Socceroos pair Daniel Arzani (left) and Mat Ryan are preparing to face Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Wednesday morning. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

It’s why the Melbourne Victory star – who has been linked with a move to Scottish club Hearts – is taking his time deciding on whether to remain in the A-League next season or head overseas.

The 26-year-old playmaker has been able to force his way back into the Socceroos squad on the back of good form and regular football for the Victory.

With his Victory contract expiring this month, Arzani now must weigh up the gamble of trying his luck overseas or instead taking the perhaps safer option of signing a new deal with the Melbourne club, knowing that Socceroos coach Tony Popovic hasn’t been afraid to pick A-League players since his appointment in September last year.

“Any of the boys that are looking to move or who are off contract, that thought process will be in their head,” Arzani said.

“It’s a big deal the World Cup. It’s massive. Everyone wants to be a part of it.

“It’s going to be very competitive (for selection). We know we’ve got a lot of talent as well coming out of Australia, so it’s definitely important that if I go somewhere (abroad), that I’ll be playing week in, week out.

“I’m not sure what I’m doing yet, what direction I’m heading in, but that’s definitely part of the equation. It’s something that I’ll consider. for sure.”

Feeling fresh after a long flight. 👏@mitchduke8 says the boys have acclimatised well and are raring to go after their first session in Jeddah.

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Arzani said being chosen for the Socceroos’ 2026 World Cup squad, should Australia qualify, would be “a little bit more special” than his 2018 selection because this time he would have been involving in the qualifying campaign, which he wasn’t before the tournament seven years ago.

“Being around such a good group of lads and really feeling that connection with everyone working towards one common goal is always a special feeling,” he said.

“You see the stuff that happens behind the scenes and the stresses, the pressures and everything involved with qualifying for a World Cup.
“It’s such a massive deal, and it’s something that I never experienced before. It has been a real eye-opener, and one that I’m really enjoying.”

Originally published as Socceroos playmaker Daniel Arzani desperate to make right call about his club future