A young, fearless Socceroos squad made history in 2026, advancing to the knockout stage for the third time before their journey ended in the Round of 32.
Pre-Tournament Preparation
Warm-Up Matches
Australia 0 – 1 Mexico (Rose Bowl, California)
- Mexico scored from a corner kick in the first half.
- Australia created three scoring opportunities in the second half.
- Defender Harry Souttar played the entire match.
- Coach Popovic selected 18-year-old Lucas Herrington in the starting lineup.
- Popovic stated the team struggled to maintain possession under Mexico's pressure.
Australia 1 – 1 Switzerland (San Diego)
- Switzerland opened the scoring in the 13th minute through Dan Ndoye, assisted by Granit Xhaka.
- Australia equalized in the 55th minute when Connor Metcalfe set up debutant Tete Yengi.
- Coach Popovic fielded a largely second-choice side, giving debuts to Yengi and Cristian Volpato.
- Nestory Irankunda hit the crossbar and received a yellow card.
- Patrick Beach made his second appearance in goal.
- Lucas Herrington started at left centre-back.
Australia 1 – 0 Cameroon (Sydney)
- Jordan Bos scored the decisive goal in the 85th minute following an error by Cameroon defender Samuel Kotto.
- Ajdin Hrustic missed a penalty in the 70th minute.
- The match ended a three-game losing streak for the team.
- Lucas Herrington made his defensive debut.
- Attendance: 23,798 at Accor Stadium.
Australia 5 – 1 Curacao (Melbourne)
- The score was tied 1-1 after the first hour.
- A quadruple substitution introduced Riley McGree, Nestory Irankunda, and Jordan Bos.
- Alessandro Circati scored his first goal for Australia (68th minute).
- Jordan Bos scored in the 71st minute.
- Nestory Irankunda scored two goals within four minutes.
- Awer Mabil scored his first international goal in two years.
World Cup Group Stage
Match 1: Australia 2 – 0 Turkey (Vancouver)
Australia defeated Turkey in their opening group match.
Goals
- Nestory Irankunda (27th minute), assisted by Paul Okon-Engstler.
- Connor Metcalfe (75th minute).
Key Details
- Patrick Beach started in goal, replacing captain Maty Ryan.
- Ten of Australia's starting eleven made their World Cup debut.
- The starting lineup had an average age of 24.6 years, the youngest in the nation's World Cup history.
- Beach made eight saves, the highest number by an Australian in a World Cup match.
- Turkey received one yellow card (Yunus Akgün, 86th minute).
- Substitutions: Mohamed Toure and Jacob Italiano replaced (74th minute), Nestory Irankunda replaced (61st minute), Jordan Bos and Paul Okon-Engstler replaced (84th minute).
Match 2: Australia 0 – 2 United States (Seattle)
The United States defeated Australia in the second group match.
Goals
- Cameron Burgess (own goal, first half).
- Alex Freeman (43rd minute, confirmed by VAR review for offside).
Key Details
- Coach Popovic left Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe on the bench, starting Mathew Leckie and Nishan Velupillay.
- Half-time substitutions brought on Irankunda and Metcalfe.
- Australia had multiple penalty appeals denied.
- Referee Felix Zwayer was criticized by players and coach for his decisions.
- The loss would have eliminated Australia from the tournament had it been the final group match; however, the team advanced to a third group match.
Match 3: Australia 0 – 0 Paraguay (Santa Clara, California)
Australia drew with Paraguay to secure second place in Group D behind the United States.
Key Details
- Australia controlled possession but neither team created many clear chances.
- Australia made six changes to the starting lineup compared to the previous match.
- Lucas Herrington, at 18, became the youngest Australian to start a World Cup match.
- Jordan Bos played out of position on the right flank and received praise from teammates.
- Jackson Irvine received a yellow card.
- Paraguay's Andrés Cubas hit a long shot saved by Australia goalkeeper Joe Beach.
- The result guaranteed Australia's advancement to the knockout stage.
World Cup Round of 32
Australia was eliminated in the Round of 32 after finishing second in Group D. The team subsequently traveled to Dallas for their knockout match. The outcome of their final group match advanced them to the knockout stage before their elimination.
Goalkeeping Selection
Coach Tony Popovic selected Patrick Beach over captain Maty Ryan for Australia's World Cup matches.
Patrick Beach
- Age 22, plays for Melbourne City in the A-League.
- Made his national team debut in the World Cup opener against Turkey.
- Started in goal for the final warm-up match against Switzerland.
- Recorded eight saves in the opening match against Turkey.
Maty Ryan
- Age 34, over 100 international caps.
- Had completed a season in La Liga with Levante.
- Was previously dropped for three World Cup qualifiers under Popovic.
Coach's Statement
- Popovic stated the decision was based on performance in training and that the team's belief in Beach was shared within the team.