Socceroos’ squad for June's crucial FIFA World Cup™ Play-offs confirmed

Socceroos Head Coach Graham Arnold has today confirmed Australia’s squad for the nation’s forthcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ play-off campaign in Doha.

Arnold and his coaching staff have selected 29 players to represent the green and gold in the Middle East, with the players set to arrive in Qatar’s capital over the next three days as Australia’s journey to qualify for a fifth consecutive FIFA World Cup™ Finals reaches its crescendo.

The Socceroos’ qualification path towards this year’s FIFA World Cup™ commenced in September 2019 with a 3-0 win over Kuwait in Kuwait City, and after 18 games, 12 wins, and 43 goals, will come down to a set of play-off fixtures against United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Peru over the coming fortnight.

Australia must defeat UAE at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium – a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ venue – on June 7 (local time) to set up a winner-takes-all match-up against Peru in one of FIFA’s two intercontinental play-offs on June 13 (local time) on the same pitch.

The victor of UAE/Australia v Peru will secure a place in Group D featuring France, Denmark, and Tunisia at this year’s FIFA World Cup which will be held between November 21 and December 18.

“Our qualification journey for this year’s FIFA World Cup™ has been challenging, however the bigger the challenge, the greater the reward,” Arnold said. “Just like in 2017 and 2005 I have full belief that our boys will emerge through the play-off system and seal Australia a place at the FIFA World Cup™.”

“The players, coaches, staff, their families, and our supporters have invested so much time, passion, and commitment into this FIFA World Cup™ qualification campaign, so we will be giving it 100 per cent over the next few weeks to ensure that the effort and sacrifices so many people have made over the past three years is rewarded in the best way possible.

We have selected a large squad for this window for a few reasons, but first and foremost because so many of our players have been in great form for their clubs over recent months. Additionally, with several players set to enter the UAE match on yellow cards, we needed to ensure that we have cover in every area to ensure we’re not caught short at any time.

“I heard Rale Rasic comment recently that the ‘Socceroos’ story is always a super story’, so in the 100th year of our national team there would be no better way for this group of players and staff to honour those that have come before them than by writing another proud chapter in the history books through FIFA World Cup™ qualification,” he concluded.

The Socceroos’ squad for June 2022 features an array of players who will enter camp having recently secured individual and/or club honours. Ajdin Hrustic became a Europa League Champion with Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville this month, while Tom Rogic won the Scottish Premier League with Celtic FC as well as Professional Footballers Australia’s Men’s Football of the Year Award.

Denis Genreau helped fire his club, FC Toulouse, to the Ligue 2 title in France and was also named PFA’s Young Player of the Year this week. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Atkinson featured in the Scottish Cup Final, Joel King was an unused substitute in the Danish Cup Final, and Bailey Wright played a leading role in helping his side, Sunderland AFC, secure promotion to England’s Championship at Wembley.

And three players in the squad will tonight feature in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s Grand Final, with Mathew Leckie, Jamie Maclaren, and Marco Tilio having the potential to enter Socceroos camp on cloud nine should they defeat Western United FC at AAMI Park.

The Socceroos will play a televised international friendly against Jordan in Qatar on Wednesday, 1 June 2022 (local time) at Al Janoub Stadium, before challenging UAE six days later. Each of Australia’s matches over the coming fortnight will be broadcast exclusively live and free across the nation on Network 10 and 10 Play (details at base).

Network 10 will also have a crew covering the Socceroos in the Middle East, ensuring that supporters are able to stay in touch with the team’s campaign via regular features on 10 News and other programming.

Socceroos Squad | June 2022 | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM – AFC & Intercontinental Play-offs

Name

Club, Country

‘A’ Caps (Goals)

Junior Club

(Member Federation/Country)

Nathaniel ATKINSON

Heart of Midlothian, Scotland

1 (0)

Riverside Olympic FC (Football Tasmania)

Aziz BEHICH

Uncontracted

49 (2)

Meadow Park SC (Football Victoria)

Martin BOYLE

Al-Faisaly FC, Saudi Arabia

16 (5)

Lewis United FC/Montrose FC (Scotland)

Nicholas D’AGOSTINO

Melbourne Victory FC, Australia

1 (0)

Runaway Bay SC (Football Queensland)

Jason DAVIDSON

Melbourne Victory FC, Australia

22 (1)

Altona City SC (Football Victoria)

Milos DEGENEK

Columbus Crew, USA

36 (1)

Blacktown City FC (Football NSW)

Kenny DOUGALL

Blackpool FC, England

4 (0)

Samford Rangers FC (Football Queensland)

Mitchell DUKE

Fagiano Okayama, Japan

19 (7)

Liverpool Rangers SC (Football NSW)

Denis GENREAU

Toulouse FC, France

2 (0)

Brighton SC (Football Victoria)

Craig GOODWIN

Adelaide United FC, Australia

7 (1)

Munno Para City SC (Football South

Australia)

Ajdin HRUSTIC

Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany

16 (2)

Heatherton United SC (Football Victoria)

Jackson IRVINE

FC St. Pauli, Germany

45 (6)

Ringwood City SC (Football Victoria)

Fran KARACIC

Brescia Calcio, Italy

7 (1)

NK Lokomotiva (Croatia)

Joel KING

Odense Boldklub, Denmark

2 (0)

Shellharbour Junior FC (Football NSW)

Mathew LECKIE

Melbourne City FC, Australia

69 (13)

Brimbank Stallions FC (Football Victoria)

Awer MABIL

Uncontracted

25 (6)

Saint Augustines FC (Football South

Australia)

Jamie MACLAREN

Melbourne City FC, Australia

22 (8)

Green Gully SC (Football Victoria))

Riley MCGREE

Middlesbrough FC, England

8 (1)

Gawler Eagles FC (Football South Australia)

Aaron MOOY

Shanghai Port FC, China PR

49 (7)

Carlingford Redbacks FC (Football NSW)

Andrew REDMAYNE (Gk)

Sydney FC, Australia

2 (0)

Gosford City Dragons FC (Football NSW)

Tom ROGIC

Uncontracted

53 (10)

Tuggeranong United FC (Capital Football)

Kye ROWLES

Central Coast Mariners FC,

Australia

0 (0)

Palm Beach SC (Football Queensland)

Mathew RYAN (Gk)

Real Sociedad, Spain

71 (0)

Blacktown City FC (Football NSW)

Trent SAINSBURY

Uncontracted

60 (4)

Armadale SC (Football West)

Gianni STENSNESS

Viking FK, Norway

2 (0)

Pittwater RSL FC/Collaroy Cromer SC

(Football NSW)

Adam TAGGART

Cerezo Osaka, Japan

16 (6)

ECU Joondalup SC (Football West)

Marco TILIO

Melbourne City FC, Australia

3 (0)

APIA Leichhardt FC/Sydney Olympic FC (Football NSW)

Danny VUKOVIC (Gk)

NEC Nijmegen, Netherlands

4 (0)

St Clair United SC (Football NSW)

Bailey WRIGHT

Sunderland AFC, England

24 (1)

Langwarrin SC (Football Victoria)

 

Australia v Jordan – International Friendly
Date: Wednesday, 1 June 2022
Venue: Al Janoub Stadium, Doha, Qatar
Kick-off: 9pm local (4am AEST – Thursday, 2 June 2022)
Broadcast: Live and free in Australia via Network 10 and simulcast on 10 Play Tickets: Match to be played without spectators

United Arab Emirates v Australia – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Asian Football Confederation Play-off
Date: Tuesday, 7 June 2022
Venue: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Doha, Qatar
Kick-off: 9pm local (4am AEST – Wednesday, 8 June 2022)
Broadcast: Live and free in Australia via Network 10 and simulcast on 10 Play Tickets: Available now via tickets.qfa.qa

*Peru v Australia/United Arab Emirates – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022T Intercontinental Play-off
Date: Monday, 13 June 2022
Venue: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Doha, Qatar
Kick-off: 9pm local (4am AEST – Tuesday, 14 June 2022)
Broadcast: Live and free in Australia via Network 10 and simulcast on 10 Play Tickets: Available now via tickets.qfa.qa

*Australia’s participation subject to Socceroos securing progression from AFC play-off against UAE