Australia men's national soccer team
The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF).
| Nickname(s) | Socceroos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Football Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia; 2006–present) OFC (Oceania; 1966–2006) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sub-confederation | AFF (Southeast Asia) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | Graham Arnold | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Captain | Mathew Ryan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most caps | Mark Schwarzer (109) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Tim Cahill (50) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Various | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA code | AUS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA ranking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current | 23 2 (15 February 2024)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest | 14 (September 2009) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest | 102 (November 2014) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First international | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Zealand 3–1 Australia (Dunedin, New Zealand; 17 June 1922) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biggest win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australia 31–0 American Samoa (Coffs Harbour, Australia; 11 April 2001) (World record for senior international matches)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biggest defeat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australia 0–8 South Africa (Adelaide, Australia; 17 September 1955) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1974) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Round of 16 (2006, 2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asian Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 4 (first in 2007) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Champions (2015) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| OFC Nations Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1980) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Champions (1980, 1996, 2000, 2004) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA Confederations Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 4 (first in 1997) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Runners-up (1997) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Website | socceroos.com.au | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The team played its first match in 1922 and originally participated in the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). In this confederation, Australia won the OFC Nations Cup four times between 1980 and 2004, and dominated many World Cup qualification campaigns during earlier rounds. The team won 31–0 against American Samoa in World Cup qualification, achieving the world record for the largest victory in a senior international match. Despite this, the team only managed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup twice in 11 attempts while in this confederation. The team moved to the AFC in 2006, winning the AFC Asian Cup once in 2015 and finishing runners-up in 2011. By winning this competition, Australia became the only team in the world to have won two different confederation cups.[5] Since moving confederations, the team has also qualified for the World Cup in every attempt, qualifying an additional four times for an overall six qualifications. Australia has made appearances in the World Cup knockout stages twice, having progressed to this stage in 2006 and 2022.
The team additionally represented Australia at the now-defunct FIFA Confederations Cup four times, winning a silver and bronze medal in 1997 and 2001 respectively. Mark Schwarzer has the most caps for Australia, with 109 to his name, while Tim Cahill has the most goals scored, with 50. Australia initially developed a rivalry with New Zealand and a rivalry with Uruguay, and, after joining the AFC, has developed a rivalry with South Korea and a rivalry with Japan.
History edit
Early years edit
The first Australia national team was constituted in 1922 for a tour of New Zealand,[6] which included two defeats and a draw. For the next 36 years, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa became regular opponents in tour (exhibition) matches.[7] During that period, Australia also competed against Canada and India during their tours of Australia in 1924 and 1938 respectively.[8][9] Australia recorded their worst ever defeat on 30 June 1951 as they lost 17–0 in a match to a touring England side.[10] Australia had a rare opportunity to compete on the world's stage during the team's first major international tournament as hosts of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. However, an inexperienced squad proved to be reason for the team's disappointing performance.[11] With the advent of cheap air travel, Australia began to diversify its range of opponents.[7] However, its geographical isolation continued to play a role in its destiny for the next 30 years.[7] Australia won the 1967 South Vietnam Independence Cup against seven other nations, but this gained little recognition domestically.[12]
After failing to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 1966 and 1970, losing in play-offs to North Korea and Israel respectively, Australia finally appeared at their first World Cup in West Germany, 1974.[13] After managing only a draw from Chile and losses from East Germany and West Germany, the team which was made up of mostly amateur players was eliminated at the end of the first round, finishing last in their group without scoring a goal. It would prove to be the only appearance for the Australian team until the World Cup tournament returned to Germany more than three decades later in 2006.[13] Over a 40-year period, the Australian team was known for its near misses in its attempts to qualify for the World Cup; they lost play-offs in 1966 to North Korea, 1970 to Israel, 1986 to Scotland, 1994 to Argentina, 1998 to Iran and 2002 to Uruguay.
First successes and "golden generation" edit
The team's previously poor record in World Cup competition was not reflected in their reasonable performances against strong European and South American sides. In 1988, Australia defeated reigning world champions Argentina 4–1 in the Australian Bicentennial Gold Cup.[14][15] In 1997, Australia drew with reigning world champions Brazil 0–0 in the group stage and then defeated Uruguay 1–0 in the semi-finals to reach the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup Final.[16] In 2001, after a victory against reigning world champions France in the group stage, Australia finished the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in third place after defeating Brazil 1–0 in the third-place decider.[17] Australia defeated England 3–1 at West Ham United's Boleyn Ground in 2003 as Wayne Rooney made his international debut.[18]
In early 2005, it was reported that Football Australia had entered into discussions to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and end an almost 40-year association with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).[19] Many commentators and fans, most notably soccer broadcaster and former Australian captain Johnny Warren, felt that the only way for Australia to progress was to abandon Oceania.[20] On 13 March, the AFC executive committee made a unanimous decision to invite Australia to join the AFC.[21] After the OFC executive committee unanimously endorsed Australia's proposed move, FIFA approved the move on 30 June 2005.[21] Australia joined Asia, with the move taking effect on 1 January 2006, though until then, Australia had to compete for a 2006 World Cup position as an OFC member country.[21]
After a successful campaign, the team took the first steps towards qualification for the 2006 World Cup.[22] After coach Frank Farina stood down from the position after Australia's dismal performance at the 2005 Confederations Cup, Guus Hiddink was announced as the new national coach.[22] Australia, ranked 49th, would then have to play the 18th ranked Uruguay in a rematch of the 2001 qualification play-off for a spot in the 2006 World Cup. After a 5–0 friendly win against Jamaica,[23] the first leg of the play-off tournament was lost (1–0), with the return leg still to be played in Australia four days later in Sydney on 16 November 2005.[24]
The second leg of the qualifying play-off was played in front of a crowd of 82,698 at Stadium Australia.[25] Australia led Uruguay 1–0 after 90 minutes following a goal by Mark Bresciano in the first half. The aggregate was tied, and extra time was played. Neither team scored after two periods of extra time, bringing the game to a penalty shootout. Australia won the penalty shootout (4–2), making Australia the first ever team to qualify for a World Cup via a penalty shootout.[26] Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer made two saves, with John Aloisi scoring the winning penalty for a place in the World Cup, Australia's first qualification in 32 years.[24]
Australia went into the 2006 World Cup as the second lowest-ranked side. Although their ranking vastly improved in subsequent months after a series of exhibition matches against high-profile teams, including a 1–1 draw against the Netherlands, and a 1–0 win at the sold-out 100,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground against the then European champions Greece[27] for the 2006 World Cup, Australia was placed into Group F, along with Japan, Croatia and defending champions Brazil. In their opening group game, Australia defeated Japan 3–1, with Tim Cahill scoring two goals (84', 89') and John Aloisi scoring one (90+2') in the last eight minutes. Their goals made history, being the first ever scored by Australia's men's soccer team in a World Cup and it was also the first victory of an Oceania team in World Cups, as well as all three goals being scored in the last seven minutes of the game, which was never before done in a World Cup match.[28] Australia met Brazil in their second group game, which Australia lost to Brazil 2–0. Australia faced Croatia in their third match. The final score (2–2) was enough to see Australia proceed to the round of 16, where they were eliminated from the competition after a 1–0 defeat by the eventual champions Italy after conceding a controversial penalty in the 93rd minute.[29][30] The loss marked the official end of Hiddink's tenure as Australia's national coach.[31] The success achieved at the 2006 World Cup later saw the team named AFC National Team of the Year,[32] as well as being dubbed the "golden generation" in the history of the Socceroos.[33]
Later success edit
Led by coach Graham Arnold, Australia went to their first Asian Cup in 2007, sending a strong squad which included 15 players from the previous year's World Cup team. In Group A they played against Oman (1–1 draw), Thailand (4–0 win) and eventual champions Iraq (3–1 loss), assuring Australia's progression to the quarter-final stage of the tournament. Though after drawing 1–1 with Japan after extra time, Australia exited the tournament on penalties at the quarter-final stage. An international friendly on 11 September 2007 against Argentina (1–0 loss) was Graham Arnold's last game as head coach, with the position eventually being filled by Pim Verbeek on 6 December 2007.[34]
Australia began their 2010 World Cup campaign in the third round of qualification, drawn into a group, composed of Qatar, Iraq and China PR, in which Australia finished first. Australia eventually saw progression through to the 2010 World Cup after comfortably winning the fourth round of qualification in a group consisting of Japan, Bahrain, Qatar and Uzbekistan.[35] Australia's qualification was already assured before the final two games, finally topping its group ahead of Japan by five points.
Australia was drawn into Group D in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which featured three-time world champion Germany, Ghana and Serbia. On 14 June 2010, Australia faced Germany. Pim Verbeek's surprising decision to play without a recognised striker saw Australia comprehensively defeated 4–0. Verbeek received heavy criticism for his tactics,[36] with SBS (Australia's World Cup broadcaster) chief soccer analyst Craig Foster calling for his immediate sacking.[37] Australia's second group match against Ghana resulted in a draw of 1–1, and their third and final group match against Serbia resulted in a 2–1 win. Ultimately Australia's heavy loss to Germany saw them eliminated in the group stage. Pim Verbeek completed his term as Australian coach at the end of the 2010 World Cup and was soon replaced by Holger Osieck.[38]
In 2010, Australia qualified for their second AFC Asian Cup, topping their qualification group. A successful campaign at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup saw Australia become runners-up to Japan, after losing in the Final 1–0 in extra time.[39]
In 2012, Australia agreed to compete in the East Asian Cup.[40] Australia travelled to Hong Kong to compete in a series of qualification matches with the hopes of qualifying for the 2013 East Asian Cup. Despite handing several debuts and fielding an in-experienced squad, Australia was successful, finishing ahead of Hong Kong, North Korea, Guam and Chinese Taipei to progress to the 2013 East Asian Cup, where Australia eventually finished last behind Japan, South Korea and China PR.[41][42] On 26 August 2013, Australia became full members of the ASEAN Football Federation[43] but as part of their entrance agreement with the sub-confederation, their national team is barred from participating in the AFF Championship due to their perceived wide gap in playing standards between Australia and the rest of the region.[44]
Australia's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification began with a series of friendlies against the United Arab Emirates (0–0), Germany (1–2 win), New Zealand (3–0 win), Serbia (0–0) and Wales (1–2 win).[45] Australia's World Cup campaign started in the third round of qualification, with Australia topping their group to progress to the fourth round. After winning their last fourth round-game, Australia finished as runners-up in their group, qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on 18 June 2013.[46]
Shortly after achieving qualification to the World Cup, Australia played a series of friendly matches against Brazil and France, suffering consecutive 6–0 defeats. This along with previous poor performances during the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign resulted in manager Holger Osieck's sacking, bringing his four-year tenure as Australia's manager to an end.[47]
New generation: the 2015 Asian Cup triumph edit
After a two-week search for a new manager, Ange Postecoglou was eventually appointed in the position.[48] Postecoglou was tasked with regenerating the Australian national team, which was deemed to have been too reliant on members of their Golden Generation of 2006, subsequently leading to a stagnation of results, culminating in successive 6–0 defeats to Brazil and France.[49] In his first game as Australia's manager, a home friendly match against Costa Rica, Australia won 1–0 courtesy of a goal from Tim Cahill.[50]
For the 2014 World Cup, Australia were drawn in Group B alongside reigning Cup holders Spain, 2010 runners-up Netherlands and Chile.[51] Their first match was off to a lacklustre start, having conceded two goals in the opening 15 minutes from Alexis Sánchez and Jorge Valdivia. Despite a goal from Tim Cahill that inspired a late resurgence from Postecoglou's team, they ultimately lost to Chile 3–1. Their second match against the Netherlands was a close one, but their efforts ended in a 3–2 loss, thus earning their early exit along with the Spanish team. In the end, Australia finished Group B with a third, consecutive defeat to world champions Spain, 3–0. Australia's competitive World Cup performances in a difficult group lead to believe that a new Golden Generation was about to begin.[52][53]
In their first international match proceeding the World Cup, Australia played World Cup quarter-finalists Belgium in Liège, with Australia going down 2–0. Four days later, Australia achieved their first international win in ten months, and just their second win under Ange Postecoglou, with a 3–2 victory over Saudi Arabia in London. After drawing against the United Arab Emirates, and suffering successive losses against Qatar and Japan, combined with previous poor results earlier in the year, Australia slipped to 94 and 102 in the FIFA World Rankings, their lowest ever ranking.[54]
The new year saw Australia host the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, with the team making their third consecutive appearance in the tournament. Australia won their first two group matches against Kuwait and Oman comfortably, with scorelines of 4–1 and 4–0 respectively. This guaranteed their qualification for the knockout stage, despite losing their final group match against South Korea in Brisbane 1–0.[55] They faced China PR in the quarter-finals and won 2–0, courtesy of a second-half brace from Tim Cahill. In the semi-finals, Australia won 2–0 over the United Arab Emirates and advanced to the final for the second time in a row. They faced South Korea in the final on 31 January at Stadium Australia, winning 2–1 after extra time to claim their first Asian title and qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.[56][57]
After Australia qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Ange Postecoglou resigned from his position as coach;[58] and former manager of the Netherlands national team, Bert van Marwijk, was subsequently appointed as his replacement.[59][60][61] On 8 March 2018, after van Marwijk's first squad announcement, the FFA announced that Graham Arnold will take the coaching role from after the 2018 FIFA World Cup until the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[62]
With van Marwijk, Australia was grouped with Denmark, France and Peru. The first match of Australia against eventual world champions France was praised by a valiant effort, in which Australia only lost 1–2 by a virtual own goal from Aziz Behich.[63] After the defeat to France, Australia produced another outstanding performance, drawing Denmark 1–1.[64] However, in the crucial match against already eliminated Peru, Australia lost 0–2 and crashed out from the World Cup with only a point, became the only team from the AFC to be winless in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[65] Subsequently, van Marwijk left his post and Arnold came to replace him as the new coach of the Socceroos.
Under Graham Arnold, Australia started their 2019 AFC Asian Cup in hope of defending the title, being grouped with Jordan, Syria and Palestine, but their hope was shattered by a shocking 0–1 defeat to Jordan.[66] Australia soon returned to the race by beating Palestine 3–0[67] before winning an important encounter with a hard-fought 3–2 win over Syria,[68] eliminating both Palestine and Syria in the process. The win gave Australia to qualify for the round of sixteen, where they overcame Uzbekistan after winning on penalties 4–2, having drawn 0–0 for 120 minutes.[69] In the quarter-finals, however, in the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, the place where Australia had lost their opening match against Jordan, Australia once again failed to register any win in the same ground, losing to the host United Arab Emirates 0–1 due to a mistake from Miloš Degenek, eventually failing to defend the title.[70]
2022 World Cup resurgence edit
Australia took part in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, which they entered in the second round, in which they faced Kuwait, Jordan, Nepal and Chinese Taipei.[71] Australia dominated the group with eight wins out of eight to reach the third round, where it faced Saudi Arabia, Japan, China, Oman and Vietnam.[72] After a good start with three straight wins over China, Vietnam and Oman, Australia then won only one game, against Vietnam, in their final seven games, being held thrice and losing thrice, finishing third in the group. It then had to rely on fourth round playoffs.[73] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all of Australia's playoffs were centralised in Doha. The Socceroos began their quest with a 2–1 win over the United Arab Emirates, to face fifth place CONMEBOL qualification finisher Peru, a rematch of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[74] This time around, Australia held Peru goalless, before winning on penalties to make it to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Australia was drawn in group D along with world champions France, Denmark and Tunisia.[75] Australia's qualification also meant that the Asian confederation had the largest number of teams in their World Cup history, with six countries qualifying.[76]
As preparation for the World Cup, Australia played two friendlies against neighbouring New Zealand, winning both games.[77][78] It began its World Cup quest on 23 November against world champions France, losing 4–1 despite initially taking the lead with goal from Craig Goodwin.[79] Three days later Australia registered its first World Cup win since 2010, overcoming Tunisia with a header from Mitchell Duke to seal a 1–0 win, sending Australia from bottom to second place.[80] Four days later, against UEFA Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark, Australia won 1–0, thanks to a Mathew Leckie goal. Australia finished the group stage in second place behind France on goal difference, making Australia the first Asian representative to reach the knockout stage in Qatar 2022.[81] Australia's resurgence in the group stage was widely watched and followed by Australian supporters. Mass celebrations occurred after the upsets over Tunisia and Denmark, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it "magnificent".[82][83][84] In the round of 16, Australia lost 2–1 to Argentina, with Lionel Messi opening the scoring and Julián Álvarez getting the second after dispossessing Mathew Ryan. Australia pulled one back when Goodwin's shot deflected into goal off Enzo Fernández and Garang Kuol almost scored the equaliser in injury time, but his shot was smothered by Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.[85]
Team image edit
Media coverage edit
Australian matches are broadcast by Paramount+ and on free-to-air by Network 10.[86]
Previous coverage has been provided by Fox Sports (2018–2021),[87] Ten network on its 10 Bold channel, ABC,[88] SBS until 2016 and Nine on its 9Go! channel (2016–2017).
The national team has set multiple ratings records for both subscription and free-to-air television. Australia's final 2006 World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay was the highest rating program in SBS history with an audience of 3.4 million viewers,[89] while a 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Uzbekistan set a record for the highest subscription television audience, with an average of 431,000 viewers.[90] The 2015 Asian Cup Final against South Korea had a total reach of 5.3 million Australians overall.[91]
Kit edit
Australia's first kit was sky blue with a maroon hoop on the socks, the colours representing the states of New South Wales and Queensland, a look that was reminiscent of the Australian national rugby league team's strips of the period.[92] They wore the predominantly light blue kit until 1924 when they changed to green and gold.[93]
Australia has worn a yellow jersey, usually accompanied by green shorts, and yellow socks since the 1960s. The colour of the socks altered throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s from white to the same green as the shorts to the same yellow colour as the jersey. This peculiarity of the uniform refers to exactly the combination of colours used in it: although the country's flag has the colours blue, red and white, the selection uses shades of green and yellow. That's because, unlike many national teams, who base their colours on the flag, the Australian team uses as a base the colours of a typical plant in the country, the acacia, which has green leaves and yellow flowers.
Their current away kit is a turquoise shirt with a gold stripe on either side of the shirt, the coat of arms being on top of a navy background. It is accompanied by navy shorts (also containing the gold stripes) and turquoise socks. Australia's kits have been produced by manufacturers including Umbro, Adidas, KingRoo, and since 2004 by Nike.[94]
Rather than displaying the logo of Football Australia, Australia's jersey traditionally features the coat of arms of Australia over the left breast. The team first wore the traditional green and yellow colours in 1924.[95] Australia's 1974 World Cup kits were produced by Adidas as were all other national team kits in the tournament, with Adidas sponsoring the event. The kits, however, contained Umbro branding, due to the manufacturer's Australian partnership at the time.[96] Nike renewed the kit manufacturer deal with FFA for another 11 years in 2012, handing them the rights to make national team kits until 2022.[97] In the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup, the new kits to be worn by the team were revealed. The design of the new kits included a plain yellow shirt with a green collar, plain dark green shorts and white socks, a tribute to the 1974 Socceroos. Inside the back of the neck also had woven the quote, "We Socceroos can do the impossible", from Peter Wilson, the captain of the 1974 Australian team.[98] This kit was well received.[99] In March 2016, FFA revealed the new Socceroos kit, which featured a yellow jersey, yellow shorts and green socks. This was reportedly in accordance with a FIFA directive, instructing all national teams to have matching shirts and shorts.[100][101] This kit was met with wide public contention, primarily due to the colour change of the shorts from the traditional green to yellow.[100][101][102][103][104]
Kit suppliers edit
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (June 2018) |
| Kit supplier | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Umbro | 1974–1983 | 1974 FIFA World Cup jerseys were manufactured by Adidas but featured an Umbro logo. |
| Adidas | 1983–1989 | |
| Kingroo | 1990–1993 | |
| Patrick | 1993 | |
| Adidas | 1993–2004 | |
| Nike | 2004–present | Current deal runs until 2033.[105] |
Nickname edit
Australia's nickname, "Socceroos", was coined in 1967 by Sydney journalist Tony Horstead in his coverage of the team on a goodwill tour to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.[106] It is commonly used by both the Australian people and the governing body, the FFA.[107] The nickname represents a cultural propensity for the use of colloquialisms in the country. It also represents the Australian English use of the sport's name.[108][109]
The name itself is similar to most other Australian national representative sporting team nicknames; used informally when referring to the team, in the media or in conversation. Similarly, the name is derived from a well-known symbol of Australia, in this case, the kangaroo. The words soccer and kangaroo are combined into a portmanteau word as soccer-roo; such as Olyroos for the Australia Olympic soccer team[110] or Hockeyroos for the Australian national women's hockey team.
Rivalries edit
New Zealand edit
Australia's longtime rivals are trans-Tasman neighbours New Zealand.[111] The two teams' history dates back to 1922, where they first met in both their international debuts. The rivalry between the Socceroos and the All Whites (New Zealand) is part of a wider friendly rivalry between the neighbours Australia and New Zealand, which applies not only to sport but to the culture of the two countries. The rivalry was intensified when Australia and New Zealand were both members of the OFC, regularly competing in OFC Nations Cup finals and in FIFA World Cup qualifications, where only one team from the OFC progressed to the World Cup. Since Australia left the OFC to join the AFC in 2006, competition between the two teams has been infrequent, with the occasional match still receiving much media and public attention.[112]
Japan edit
After joining the AFC, Australia began to develop a fierce rivalry with fellow Asian powerhouse Japan.[113] The rivalry began at the 2006 World Cup, where the two countries were grouped together. The rivalry continued with the two countries meeting regularly in various AFC competitions, including the 2011 Asian Cup final and qualification for the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups.[114]
South Korea edit
Another major rival within Asia is South Korea, who Australia came up against in three World Cup qualification campaigns in the 1970s and, since joining the AFC, have met regularly including the victory by Australia in the 2015 Asian Cup final.[115]
Uruguay edit
A rivalry exists with Uruguay since their first meeting on the eve of the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Both nations have faced each other in consecutive World Cup play-offs in 2001 and 2005 with each nation winning a playoff final each to progress through to the World Cup. Australia and Uruguay also faced off in the 1997 Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia, with Australia progressing through to the final against Brazil via a golden goal winner from Harry Kewell.[116]
Supporters edit
The main supporter group of the Australian national team is Australian Active Support (AAS).[117] AAS, then known as Socceroos Active Support (SAS), was founded in January 2015 as an independent group,[118] who uses social media to organise and keep in touch. This replaced the former active support group Terrace Australis,[119] who were founded by Football Federation Australia and fans in 2013, during Australia's 2014 World Cup qualification campaign.[120] Its establishment came in the wake of poor off-field action and minimal community engagement.[121] Previously, the emergence of Terrace Australis saw the Green and Gold Army relinquish its role as a hub for active support, which it had claimed since its establishment in 2001.[122][123] Since the 2015 AFC Asian Cup triumph, the supporters had encouraged people in Australia to focus more on the national team, and the nation's soccer pride.
Home stadium edit
Australia does not have a dedicated national stadium, instead the team plays at different venues throughout the country for exhibition or tournament purposes. In recent years, major international matches have usually been rotated around various large grounds, including Stadium Australia in Sydney, Hunter Stadium in Newcastle and Docklands Stadium in Melbourne. International matches have also been played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne and Canberra Stadium in Canberra.
Australia has played at the Gabba in Brisbane, which hosted Australia's first international match on home soil in 1923, a 2–1 win over New Zealand. It was the fourth Australian team match overall, with the first three internationals played in New Zealand.[124] Other venues which regularly hosted international home matches included Olympic Park Stadium in Melbourne, the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney Showground, and Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, and Subiaco Oval in Perth.
Games in England edit
Since the 2003 friendly against England, the Socceroos have also played a significant number of games in England, especially London, since a high proportion of the senior team play in European leagues. This includes games at Craven Cottage in Fulham (Fulham Football Club's home ground), Loftus Road in Shepherd's Bush (Queens Park Rangers' home ground) and The Den in Bermondsey (Millwall Football Club's home ground).
Results and fixtures edit
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
2023 edit
| 9 September Friendly | Mexico | 2–2 | Australia | Arlington, United States |
| 21:00 UTC-5 | Report | Stadium: AT&T Stadium Attendance: 52,787 Referee: Rubio Vázquez (United States) |
| 13 October Friendly | England | 1–0 | Australia | London, England |
| 19:45 UTC+1 |
| Report | Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 81,116 Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (France) |
| 17 October Soccer Ashes | Australia | 2–0 | New Zealand | London, England |
| 19:45 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Gtech Community Stadium Attendance: 5,761 Referee: Stuart Attwell (England) |
| 16 November 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2 | Australia | 7–0 | Bangladesh | Melbourne, Australia |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Report | Stadium: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium Attendance: 20,876 Referee: Ahrol Risqullaev (Uzbekistan) |
| 21 November 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2 | Palestine | 0–1 | Australia | Kuwait City, Kuwait[a] |
| 17:00 UTC+3 | Report |
| Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Attendance: 14,537 Referee: Qasim Al-Hatmi (Oman) |
2024 edit
| 6 January Friendly | Bahrain | 0–2 | Australia | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| 18:00 UTC+4 | Report | Stadium: Baniyas Stadium Referee: Mohamed Al-Harmoodi (United Arab Emirates) |
| 13 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stage | Australia | 2–0 | India | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| 14:30 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Attendance: 35,253 Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) |
| 18 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stage | Syria | 0–1 | Australia | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| 14:30 UTC+3 | Report |
| Stadium: Jassim bin Hamad Stadium Attendance: 10,097 Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates) |
| 23 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stage | Australia | 1–1 | Uzbekistan | Al Wakrah, Qatar |
| 14:30 UTC+3 | Report |
| Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium Attendance: 15,290 Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan) |
| 28 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup round of 16 | Australia | 4–0 | Indonesia | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| 14:30 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium: Jassim bin Hamad Stadium Attendance: 7,863 Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates) |
| 2 February 2023 AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals | Australia | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | South Korea | Al Wakrah, Qatar |
| 18:30 UTC+3 |
| Report |
| Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium Attendance: 39,632 Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman) |
| 21 March 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2 | Australia | v | Lebanon | Sydney, Australia |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Source | Stadium: Western Sydney Stadium |
| 26 March 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2 | Lebanon | v | Australia | Canberra, Australia[b] |
| 19:45 UTC+11 | Source | Stadium: Canberra Stadium |
| 6 June 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2 | Bangladesh | v | Australia | Bangladesh |
| Source |
| 11 June 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2 | Australia | v | Palestine | Perth, Australia |
| 20:05 UTC+8 | Source | Stadium: Perth Rectangular Stadium |
Coaching staff edit
- As of November 2023[128]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Graham Arnold |
| Assistant coach | René Meulensteen |
| Assistant coach | Tony Vidmar |
| Goalkeeper coach | John Crawley |
Players edit
Current squad edit
The following 25 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round matches against Lebanon.[129]
Caps and goals correct as of 3 February 2024, after the match against South Korea.
Recent call-ups edit
The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Lawrence Thomas | 9 May 1992 | 1 | 0 | Western Sydney Wanderers | v. South Korea, 3 February 2024 |
| GK | Ashley Maynard-Brewer | 25 June 1999 | 0 | 0 | Charlton Athletic | v. Palestine, 21 November 2023 |
| GK | Andrew Redmayne | 13 January 1989 | 4 | 0 | Sydney FC | v. New Zealand, 18 October 2023 |
| DF | Aziz Behich | 16 December 1990 | 69 | 2 | Al-Nassr | v. South Korea, 3 February 2024 |
| DF | Ryan Strain | 2 April 1997 | 5 | 0 | St Mirren | v. Palestine, 21 November 2023 |
| DF | Alessandro Circati | 10 October 2003 | 1 | 0 | Parma | v. Palestine, 21 November 2023 |
| DF | Miloš Degenek | 28 April 1994 | 45 | 1 | Red Star Belgrade | v. New Zealand, 18 October 2023 |
| DF | Joel King | 30 October 2000 | 4 | 0 | Sydney FC | v. Argentina, 15 June 2023 |
| DF | Gianni Stensness | 7 February 1999 | 2 | 0 | Viking | v. Argentina, 15 June 2023 |
| DF | Bailey Wright | 28 July 1992 | 29 | 2 | Lion City Sailors | v. Ecuador, 28 March 2023 |
| MF | Aiden O'Neill | 4 July 1998 | 13 | 0 | Standard Liège | v. South Korea, 3 February 2024 |
| MF | Massimo Luongo | 25 September 1992 | 45 | 6 | Ipswich Town | v. Palestine, 21 November 2023 RET |
| MF | Alexander Robertson | 17 April 2003 | 2 | 0 | Portsmouth | v. New Zealand, 18 October 2023 |
| MF | Denis Genreau | 21 May 1999 | 6 | 0 | Toulouse | v. Mexico, 9 September 2023 |
| MF | Cameron Devlin | 7 June 1998 | 2 | 0 | Heart of Midlothian | v. Mexico, 9 September 2023 |
| MF | Aaron Mooy | 15 September 1990 | 57 | 7 | Retired | v. Ecuador, 24 March 2023 RET |
| FW | Martin Boyle | 25 April 1993 | 28 | 8 | Hibernian | v. South Korea, 3 February 2024 |
| FW | Marco Tilio | 23 August 2001 | 9 | 0 | Melbourne City | v. South Korea, 3 February 2024 |
| FW | Jamie Maclaren | 29 July 1993 | 32 | 11 | Melbourne City | v. Palestine, 21 November 2023 |
| FW | Awer Mabil | 15 September 1995 | 33 | 9 | Grasshoppers | v. New Zealand, 18 October 2023 |
| FW | Mohamed Toure | 26 March 2004 | 1 | 0 | Paris FC | v. New Zealand, 18 October 2023 |
| FW | Nicholas D'Agostino | 25 February 1998 | 3 | 0 | Viking | v. Mexico, 9 September 2023 |
| FW | Mathew Leckie | 4 February 1991 | 78 | 14 | Melbourne City | v. Mexico, 9 September 2023 INJ |
| FW | Garang Kuol | 15 September 2004 | 5 | 1 | Volendam | v. Ecuador, 28 March 2023 |
| FW | Jason Cummings | 1 August 1995 | 3 | 1 | Mohun Bagan | v. Ecuador, 28 March 2023 |
| FW | Nestory Irankunda | 9 February 2006 | 0 | 0 | Adelaide United | v. Ecuador, 28 March 2023 |
- INJ Withdrew due to injury
- RET Retired
Records edit
Australia currently hold the world record for the largest win and the most goals scored by a player in an international match.[130] Both records were achieved during the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification match against American Samoa on 11 April 2001. Australia won 31–0 with Archie Thompson scoring 13 goals and David Zdrilic scoring 8.[130][131] Two days before the 31–0 win, Australia broke the record for largest win with a 22–0 win over Tonga.[132] With 13 and 8 goals respectively, both Thompson and Zdrilic broke the previous record jointly held by another Australian, Gary Cole, who scored seven goals against Fiji in 1981,[133] and Iranian Karim Bagheri, who also scored seven goals against Maldives in 1997.[134]
Most capped players edit
| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Position | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Schwarzer | 109 | 0 | GK | 1993–2013 |
| 2 | Tim Cahill | 108 | 50 | FW | 2004–2018 |
| 3 | Lucas Neill | 96 | 1 | DF | 1996–2013 |
| 4 | Brett Emerton | 95 | 20 | MF | 1998–2012 |
| 5 | Mathew Ryan | 91 | 0 | GK | 2012–present |
| 6 | Alex Tobin | 87 | 2 | DF | 1988–1998 |
| 7 | Mark Bresciano | 84 | 13 | MF | 2001–2015 |
| Paul Wade | 84 | 10 | MF | 1986–1996 | |
| 9 | Mark Milligan | 80 | 6 | MF | 2006–2019 |
| Luke Wilkshire | 80 | 8 | DF | 2004–2014 |
Top goalscorers edit
| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Cahill (list) | 50 | 108 | 0.46 | 2004–2018 |
| 2 | Damian Mori | 29 | 45 | 0.64 | 1992–2002 |
| 3 | Archie Thompson | 28 | 54 | 0.52 | 2001–2013 |
| 4 | John Aloisi | 27 | 55 | 0.49 | 1993–2008 |
| 5 | John Kosmina | 25 | 60 | 0.42 | 1977–1988 |
| Attila Abonyi | 25 | 61 | 0.41 | 1967–1977 | |
| 7 | David Zdrilic | 20 | 31 | 0.65 | 1997–2010 |
| Mile Jedinak | 20 | 79 | 0.25 | 2008–2018 | |
| Brett Emerton | 20 | 95 | 0.21 | 1998–2012 | |
| 10 | Graham Arnold | 19 | 56 | 0.34 | 1985–1997 |
Most clean sheets edit
| Rank | Name | Clean sheets | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Schwarzer | 44 | 109 | 0.4 | 1993–2013 |
| 2 | Mathew Ryan | 33 | 91 | 0.36 | 2012–present |
| 3 | Zeljko Kalac | 24 | 54 | 0.44 | 1992–2006 |
| 4 | Jeff Olver | 13 | 37 | 0.35 | 1985–1989 |
| 5 | Robert Zabica | 12 | 27 | 0.44 | 1990–1994 |
Competitive record edit
| Overview | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place |
| FIFA World Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FIFA Confederations Cup | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| AFC Asian Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| OFC Nations Cup | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
FIFA World Cup edit
| Australia's FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup qualification | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host | Round | Pos | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pos. | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1930 to 1962 | Not a member of FIFA | Not a member of FIFA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966 | England | Did not qualify | Final Round | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970 | Mexico | Final Round | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974 | West Germany | Group stage | 14th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | Squad | Final Round | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978 | Argentina | Did not qualify | 4th | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982 | Spain | 2nd | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | Mexico | 1st (PO) | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990 | Italy | 2nd | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994 | United States | 1st (PO) | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | France | 1st (PO) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | South Korea Japan | 1st (PO) | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 73 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Germany | Round of 16 | 16th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | Squad | 1st (PO) | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | South Africa | Group stage | 21st | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | Squad | 1st | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Brazil | Group stage | 30th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | Squad | 2nd | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 25 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Russia | Group stage | 30th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | Squad | 3rd (PO) | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 51 | 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Qatar | Round of 16 | 11th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | Squad | 3rd (PO) | 20 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 45 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2026 | Canada Mexico United States | To be determined | In progress | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2030 | Morocco Portugal Spain | To be determined | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2034 | Saudi Arabia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | Round of 16 | 6/15 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 17 | 37 | — | — | 163 | 97 | 40 | 26 | 415 | 125 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FIFA Confederations Cup edit
| Australia's FIFA Confederations Cup record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host | Round | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1992 | Saudi Arabia | No OFC representative invited | |||||||
| 1995 | Saudi Arabia | ||||||||
| 1997 | Saudi Arabia | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 1999 | Mexico | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2001 | South Korea Japan | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 2003 | France | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2005 | Germany | Group stage | 8th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 2009 | South Africa | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2013 | Brazil | ||||||||
| 2017 | Russia | Group stage | 6th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Total | 0 titles | 4/10 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 25 | |
AFC Asian Cup edit
| Australia's AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup qualification | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host | Round | Pos | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Squad | Group Pos. | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956–2004 | Not a member of the AFC | Not a member of the AFC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam | Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | Squad | 1st | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Qatar | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 2 | Squad | 1st | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Australia | Champions | 1st | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 3 | Squad | Qualified as hosts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | United Arab Emirates | Quarter-finals | 7th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | Squad | 1st | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Qatar | Quarter-finals | 6th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | Squad | 1st | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2027 | Saudi Arabia | To be determined | In progress | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 1 title | 5/19 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 49 | 17 | — | — | 28 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 78 | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summer Olympics edit
| Australia's Summer Olympics record | Summer Olympics qualification | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA | ||
| 1908–1952 | Did not participate | ||||||||||||||||
| 1956 | Melbourne | Quarter-finals | 5th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Qualified as Host | |||||||
| 1960 | Rome | Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||
| 1964 | Tokyo | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
| 1968 | Mexico City | ||||||||||||||||
| 1972 | Munich | ||||||||||||||||
| 1976 | Montreal | ||||||||||||||||
| 1980 | Moscow | ||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Los Angeles | ||||||||||||||||
| 1988 | Seoul | Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 4 | ||
| 1992–present | See Australia national under-23 team | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 0 titles | 2/17 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 4 | |||
OFC Nations Cup edit
| Australia's OFC Nations Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1973 | Did not participate | |||||||
| 1980 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 |
| 1996 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| 1998 | Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 3 |
| 2000 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| 2002 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 2 |
| 2004 | Champions | 1st | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 4 |
| 2008–present | Not OFC member | |||||||
| Total | 4 titles | 6/10 | 28 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 142 | 13 |
AFC–OFC Challenge Cup edit
| Australia's OFC Nations Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 2001 | Runners-up | 1/2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2003 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| Total | 0 titles | 1/2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
AFF Championship edit
Since joining the AFF in 2013, Australia has never competed in this event.
Minor tournaments edit
| Year | Position | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 Soccer Ashes | 2nd | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 1923 Soccer Ashes | 2nd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 1933 Soccer Ashes | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 8 |
| 1936 Soccer Ashes | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 |
| 1948 Soccer Ashes | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| 1954 Soccer Ashes | 1st | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 |
| 1967 South Vietnam Independence Cup | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6 |
| 1982 Merlion Cup | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| 1983 Trans-Tasman Trophy | 2nd | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 1983 Merlion Cup | 1st | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 |
| 1984 China–Australia Ampol Cup | 2nd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1985 China–Australia Ampol Cup | 1st | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1986 Trans-Tasman Trophy | 1st | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 1986 China–Australia Ampol Cup | 1st | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 President's Cup | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1987 Trans-Tasman Trophy | 2nd | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1988 Australia Bicentenary Gold Cup | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| 1988 Trans-Tasman Trophy | 1st | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 1990 Independence Cup | 1st | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1991 Trans-Tasman Trophy | 1st | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1991 President's Cup | 2nd | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 Independence Cup | 3rd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 1994 Kirin Cup | 2nd | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1995 Trans-Tasman Trophy | 1st | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1996 Simba Cup | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 2000 Copa Ciudad de Valparaíso | 4th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2000 LG Cup (UAE) | 3rd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2001 AFC–OFC Challenge Cup | 2nd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 14 titles | 69 | 42 | 9 | 17 | 150 | 75 |
All-time record edit
FIFA Rankings edit
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Last update was on 2 February 2024 Source:[137]
Best Ranking Worst Ranking Best Mover Worst Mover
| Australia's FIFA world rankings | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Year | Games Played | Best | Worst | ||||
| Rank | Move | Rank | Move | |||||
| 25 | 2023 | 8 | 25 | 2 | 29 | 2 | ||
| 27 | 2022 | 13 | 27 | 8 | 42 | 6 | ||
| 35 | 2021 | 10 | 32 | 6 | 41 | 2 | ||
| 41 | 2020 | 0 | 41 | 1 | 42 | 1 | ||
| 42 | 2019 | 10 | 41 | 2 | 46 | 3 | ||
| 41 | 2018 | 11 | 32 | 4 | 43 | 7 | ||
| 38 | 2017 | 13 | 38 | 7 | 55 | 10 | ||
| 47 | 2016 | 10 | 40 | 17 | 68 | 9 | ||
| 57 | 2015 | 14 | 57 | 37 | 100 | 2 | ||
| 100 | 2014 | 11 | 53 | 4 | 102 | 14 | ||
| 58 | 2013 | 12 | 36 | australia, national, soccer, team, this, article, about, team, women, team, australia, women, national, soccer, team, australia, national, football, team, redirects, here, other, uses, australia, national, football, team, disambiguation, represents, australia,. This article is about the men s team For the women s team see Australia women s national soccer team Australia national football team redirects here For other uses see Australia national football team disambiguation The Australia men s national soccer team represents Australia in international men s soccer Officially nicknamed the Socceroos the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia Football Australia which is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation AFC and the regional ASEAN Football Federation AFF AustraliaNickname s SocceroosAssociationFootball AustraliaConfederationAFC Asia 2006 present OFC Oceania 1966 2006 Sub confederationAFF Southeast Asia Head coachGraham ArnoldCaptainMathew RyanMost capsMark Schwarzer 109 Top scorerTim Cahill 50 Home stadiumVariousFIFA codeAUSFirst coloursSecond coloursFIFA rankingCurrent23 2 15 February 2024 1 Highest14 September 2009 Lowest102 November 2014 First international New Zealand 3 1 Australia Dunedin New Zealand 17 June 1922 Biggest win Australia 31 0 American Samoa Coffs Harbour Australia 11 April 2001 World record for senior international matches 2 Biggest defeat Australia 0 8 South Africa Adelaide Australia 17 September 1955 World CupAppearances6 first in 1974 Best resultRound of 16 2006 2022 Asian CupAppearances4 first in 2007 Best resultChampions 2015 OFC Nations CupAppearances6 first in 1980 Best resultChampions 1980 1996 2000 2004 FIFA Confederations CupAppearances4 first in 1997 Best resultRunners up 1997 Medal record Men s footballFIFA Confederations Cup1997 Saudi Arabia Team2001 Korea Japan TeamAFC Asian Cup2015 Australia Team2011 Qatar TeamOFC Nations Cup1980 New Caledonia Team1996 No Host Team2000 Tahiti Team2004 Australia Team1998 Australia Team2002 New Zealand TeamAFC OFC Challenge Cup2001 Japan TeamWebsitesocceroos com auThe team played its first match in 1922 and originally participated in the Oceania Football Confederation OFC In this confederation Australia won the OFC Nations Cup four times between 1980 and 2004 and dominated many World Cup qualification campaigns during earlier rounds The team won 31 0 against American Samoa in World Cup qualification achieving the world record for the largest victory in a senior international match Despite this the team only managed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup twice in 11 attempts while in this confederation The team moved to the AFC in 2006 winning the AFC Asian Cup once in 2015 and finishing runners up in 2011 By winning this competition Australia became the only team in the world to have won two different confederation cups 5 Since moving confederations the team has also qualified for the World Cup in every attempt qualifying an additional four times for an overall six qualifications Australia has made appearances in the World Cup knockout stages twice having progressed to this stage in 2006 and 2022 The team additionally represented Australia at the now defunct FIFA Confederations Cup four times winning a silver and bronze medal in 1997 and 2001 respectively Mark Schwarzer has the most caps for Australia with 109 to his name while Tim Cahill has the most goals scored with 50 Australia initially developed a rivalry with New Zealand and a rivalry with Uruguay and after joining the AFC has developed a rivalry with South Korea and a rivalry with Japan Contents 1 History 1 1 Early years 1 2 First successes and golden generation 1 3 Later success 1 4 New generation the 2015 Asian Cup triumph 1 5 2022 World Cup resurgence 2 Team image 2 1 Media coverage 2 2 Kit 2 2 1 Kit suppliers 2 3 Nickname 2 4 Rivalries 2 4 1 New Zealand 2 4 2 Japan 2 4 3 South Korea 2 4 4 Uruguay 2 5 Supporters 2 6 Home stadium 2 6 1 Games in England 3 Results and fixtures 3 1 2023 3 2 2024 4 Coaching staff 5 Players 5 1 Current squad 5 2 Recent call ups 6 Records 6 1 Most capped players 6 2 Top goalscorers 6 3 Most clean sheets 7 Competitive record 7 1 FIFA World Cup 7 2 FIFA Confederations Cup 7 3 AFC Asian Cup 7 4 Summer Olympics 7 5 OFC Nations Cup 7 6 AFC OFC Challenge Cup 7 7 AFF Championship 7 8 Minor tournaments 8 All time record 9 FIFA Rankings 10 Honours 10 1 Major 10 2 Other 10 3 Invitational Tournaments 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 External linksHistory editMain article History of the Australia national soccer team Early years edit nbsp The first Australia soccer team wearing light blue shirts of 1922The first Australia national team was constituted in 1922 for a tour of New Zealand 6 which included two defeats and a draw For the next 36 years Australia New Zealand and South Africa became regular opponents in tour exhibition matches 7 During that period Australia also competed against Canada and India during their tours of Australia in 1924 and 1938 respectively 8 9 Australia recorded their worst ever defeat on 30 June 1951 as they lost 17 0 in a match to a touring England side 10 Australia had a rare opportunity to compete on the world s stage during the team s first major international tournament as hosts of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics However an inexperienced squad proved to be reason for the team s disappointing performance 11 With the advent of cheap air travel Australia began to diversify its range of opponents 7 However its geographical isolation continued to play a role in its destiny for the next 30 years 7 Australia won the 1967 South Vietnam Independence Cup against seven other nations but this gained little recognition domestically 12 After failing to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 1966 and 1970 losing in play offs to North Korea and Israel respectively Australia finally appeared at their first World Cup in West Germany 1974 13 After managing only a draw from Chile and losses from East Germany and West Germany the team which was made up of mostly amateur players was eliminated at the end of the first round finishing last in their group without scoring a goal It would prove to be the only appearance for the Australian team until the World Cup tournament returned to Germany more than three decades later in 2006 13 Over a 40 year period the Australian team was known for its near misses in its attempts to qualify for the World Cup they lost play offs in 1966 to North Korea 1970 to Israel 1986 to Scotland 1994 to Argentina 1998 to Iran and 2002 to Uruguay First successes and golden generation edit The team s previously poor record in World Cup competition was not reflected in their reasonable performances against strong European and South American sides In 1988 Australia defeated reigning world champions Argentina 4 1 in the Australian Bicentennial Gold Cup 14 15 In 1997 Australia drew with reigning world champions Brazil 0 0 in the group stage and then defeated Uruguay 1 0 in the semi finals to reach the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup Final 16 In 2001 after a victory against reigning world champions France in the group stage Australia finished the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in third place after defeating Brazil 1 0 in the third place decider 17 Australia defeated England 3 1 at West Ham United s Boleyn Ground in 2003 as Wayne Rooney made his international debut 18 In early 2005 it was reported that Football Australia had entered into discussions to join the Asian Football Confederation AFC and end an almost 40 year association with the Oceania Football Confederation OFC 19 Many commentators and fans most notably soccer broadcaster and former Australian captain Johnny Warren felt that the only way for Australia to progress was to abandon Oceania 20 On 13 March the AFC executive committee made a unanimous decision to invite Australia to join the AFC 21 After the OFC executive committee unanimously endorsed Australia s proposed move FIFA approved the move on 30 June 2005 21 Australia joined Asia with the move taking effect on 1 January 2006 though until then Australia had to compete for a 2006 World Cup position as an OFC member country 21 After a successful campaign the team took the first steps towards qualification for the 2006 World Cup 22 After coach Frank Farina stood down from the position after Australia s dismal performance at the 2005 Confederations Cup Guus Hiddink was announced as the new national coach 22 Australia ranked 49th would then have to play the 18th ranked Uruguay in a rematch of the 2001 qualification play off for a spot in the 2006 World Cup After a 5 0 friendly win against Jamaica 23 the first leg of the play off tournament was lost 1 0 with the return leg still to be played in Australia four days later in Sydney on 16 November 2005 24 nbsp Australia playing Uruguay at Stadium Australia to determine the last qualifying spots for the 2006 World Cup The second leg of the qualifying play off was played in front of a crowd of 82 698 at Stadium Australia 25 Australia led Uruguay 1 0 after 90 minutes following a goal by Mark Bresciano in the first half The aggregate was tied and extra time was played Neither team scored after two periods of extra time bringing the game to a penalty shootout Australia won the penalty shootout 4 2 making Australia the first ever team to qualify for a World Cup via a penalty shootout 26 Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer made two saves with John Aloisi scoring the winning penalty for a place in the World Cup Australia s first qualification in 32 years 24 Australia went into the 2006 World Cup as the second lowest ranked side Although their ranking vastly improved in subsequent months after a series of exhibition matches against high profile teams including a 1 1 draw against the Netherlands and a 1 0 win at the sold out 100 000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground against the then European champions Greece 27 for the 2006 World Cup Australia was placed into Group F along with Japan Croatia and defending champions Brazil In their opening group game Australia defeated Japan 3 1 with Tim Cahill scoring two goals 84 89 and John Aloisi scoring one 90 2 in the last eight minutes Their goals made history being the first ever scored by Australia s men s soccer team in a World Cup and it was also the first victory of an Oceania team in World Cups as well as all three goals being scored in the last seven minutes of the game which was never before done in a World Cup match 28 Australia met Brazil in their second group game which Australia lost to Brazil 2 0 Australia faced Croatia in their third match The final score 2 2 was enough to see Australia proceed to the round of 16 where they were eliminated from the competition after a 1 0 defeat by the eventual champions Italy after conceding a controversial penalty in the 93rd minute 29 30 The loss marked the official end of Hiddink s tenure as Australia s national coach 31 The success achieved at the 2006 World Cup later saw the team named AFC National Team of the Year 32 as well as being dubbed the golden generation in the history of the Socceroos 33 Later success edit Led by coach Graham Arnold Australia went to their first Asian Cup in 2007 sending a strong squad which included 15 players from the previous year s World Cup team In Group A they played against Oman 1 1 draw Thailand 4 0 win and eventual champions Iraq 3 1 loss assuring Australia s progression to the quarter final stage of the tournament Though after drawing 1 1 with Japan after extra time Australia exited the tournament on penalties at the quarter final stage An international friendly on 11 September 2007 against Argentina 1 0 loss was Graham Arnold s last game as head coach with the position eventually being filled by Pim Verbeek on 6 December 2007 34 Australia began their 2010 World Cup campaign in the third round of qualification drawn into a group composed of Qatar Iraq and China PR in which Australia finished first Australia eventually saw progression through to the 2010 World Cup after comfortably winning the fourth round of qualification in a group consisting of Japan Bahrain Qatar and Uzbekistan 35 Australia s qualification was already assured before the final two games finally topping its group ahead of Japan by five points nbsp Australia against Germany in Moses Mabhida Stadium at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Australia was drawn into Group D in the 2010 FIFA World Cup which featured three time world champion Germany Ghana and Serbia On 14 June 2010 Australia faced Germany Pim Verbeek s surprising decision to play without a recognised striker saw Australia comprehensively defeated 4 0 Verbeek received heavy criticism for his tactics 36 with SBS Australia s World Cup broadcaster chief soccer analyst Craig Foster calling for his immediate sacking 37 Australia s second group match against Ghana resulted in a draw of 1 1 and their third and final group match against Serbia resulted in a 2 1 win Ultimately Australia s heavy loss to Germany saw them eliminated in the group stage Pim Verbeek completed his term as Australian coach at the end of the 2010 World Cup and was soon replaced by Holger Osieck 38 In 2010 Australia qualified for their second AFC Asian Cup topping their qualification group A successful campaign at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup saw Australia become runners up to Japan after losing in the Final 1 0 in extra time 39 In 2012 Australia agreed to compete in the East Asian Cup 40 Australia travelled to Hong Kong to compete in a series of qualification matches with the hopes of qualifying for the 2013 East Asian Cup Despite handing several debuts and fielding an in experienced squad Australia was successful finishing ahead of Hong Kong North Korea Guam and Chinese Taipei to progress to the 2013 East Asian Cup where Australia eventually finished last behind Japan South Korea and China PR 41 42 On 26 August 2013 Australia became full members of the ASEAN Football Federation 43 but as part of their entrance agreement with the sub confederation their national team is barred from participating in the AFF Championship due to their perceived wide gap in playing standards between Australia and the rest of the region 44 nbsp Australia against Chile in Arena Pantanal Cuiaba at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Australia s 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification began with a series of friendlies against the United Arab Emirates 0 0 Germany 1 2 win New Zealand 3 0 win Serbia 0 0 and Wales 1 2 win 45 Australia s World Cup campaign started in the third round of qualification with Australia topping their group to progress to the fourth round After winning their last fourth round game Australia finished as runners up in their group qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on 18 June 2013 46 Shortly after achieving qualification to the World Cup Australia played a series of friendly matches against Brazil and France suffering consecutive 6 0 defeats This along with previous poor performances during the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign resulted in manager Holger Osieck s sacking bringing his four year tenure as Australia s manager to an end 47 New generation the 2015 Asian Cup triumph edit After a two week search for a new manager Ange Postecoglou was eventually appointed in the position 48 Postecoglou was tasked with regenerating the Australian national team which was deemed to have been too reliant on members of their Golden Generation of 2006 subsequently leading to a stagnation of results culminating in successive 6 0 defeats to Brazil and France 49 In his first game as Australia s manager a home friendly match against Costa Rica Australia won 1 0 courtesy of a goal from Tim Cahill 50 For the 2014 World Cup Australia were drawn in Group B alongside reigning Cup holders Spain 2010 runners up Netherlands and Chile 51 Their first match was off to a lacklustre start having conceded two goals in the opening 15 minutes from Alexis Sanchez and Jorge Valdivia Despite a goal from Tim Cahill that inspired a late resurgence from Postecoglou s team they ultimately lost to Chile 3 1 Their second match against the Netherlands was a close one but their efforts ended in a 3 2 loss thus earning their early exit along with the Spanish team In the end Australia finished Group B with a third consecutive defeat to world champions Spain 3 0 Australia s competitive World Cup performances in a difficult group lead to believe that a new Golden Generation was about to begin 52 53 In their first international match proceeding the World Cup Australia played World Cup quarter finalists Belgium in Liege with Australia going down 2 0 Four days later Australia achieved their first international win in ten months and just their second win under Ange Postecoglou with a 3 2 victory over Saudi Arabia in London After drawing against the United Arab Emirates and suffering successive losses against Qatar and Japan combined with previous poor results earlier in the year Australia slipped to 94 and 102 in the FIFA World Rankings their lowest ever ranking 54 nbsp Australia match against Kuwait in 2015 AFC Asian Cup opening matchThe new year saw Australia host the 2015 AFC Asian Cup with the team making their third consecutive appearance in the tournament Australia won their first two group matches against Kuwait and Oman comfortably with scorelines of 4 1 and 4 0 respectively This guaranteed their qualification for the knockout stage despite losing their final group match against South Korea in Brisbane 1 0 55 They faced China PR in the quarter finals and won 2 0 courtesy of a second half brace from Tim Cahill In the semi finals Australia won 2 0 over the United Arab Emirates and advanced to the final for the second time in a row They faced South Korea in the final on 31 January at Stadium Australia winning 2 1 after extra time to claim their first Asian title and qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup 56 57 After Australia qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Ange Postecoglou resigned from his position as coach 58 and former manager of the Netherlands national team Bert van Marwijk was subsequently appointed as his replacement 59 60 61 On 8 March 2018 after van Marwijk s first squad announcement the FFA announced that Graham Arnold will take the coaching role from after the 2018 FIFA World Cup until the 2022 FIFA World Cup 62 With van Marwijk Australia was grouped with Denmark France and Peru The first match of Australia against eventual world champions France was praised by a valiant effort in which Australia only lost 1 2 by a virtual own goal from Aziz Behich 63 After the defeat to France Australia produced another outstanding performance drawing Denmark 1 1 64 However in the crucial match against already eliminated Peru Australia lost 0 2 and crashed out from the World Cup with only a point became the only team from the AFC to be winless in the 2018 FIFA World Cup 65 Subsequently van Marwijk left his post and Arnold came to replace him as the new coach of the Socceroos Under Graham Arnold Australia started their 2019 AFC Asian Cup in hope of defending the title being grouped with Jordan Syria and Palestine but their hope was shattered by a shocking 0 1 defeat to Jordan 66 Australia soon returned to the race by beating Palestine 3 0 67 before winning an important encounter with a hard fought 3 2 win over Syria 68 eliminating both Palestine and Syria in the process The win gave Australia to qualify for the round of sixteen where they overcame Uzbekistan after winning on penalties 4 2 having drawn 0 0 for 120 minutes 69 In the quarter finals however in the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium the place where Australia had lost their opening match against Jordan Australia once again failed to register any win in the same ground losing to the host United Arab Emirates 0 1 due to a mistake from Milos Degenek eventually failing to defend the title 70 2022 World Cup resurgence edit Australia took part in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification which they entered in the second round in which they faced Kuwait Jordan Nepal and Chinese Taipei 71 Australia dominated the group with eight wins out of eight to reach the third round where it faced Saudi Arabia Japan China Oman and Vietnam 72 After a good start with three straight wins over China Vietnam and Oman Australia then won only one game against Vietnam in their final seven games being held thrice and losing thrice finishing third in the group It then had to rely on fourth round playoffs 73 Due to the COVID 19 pandemic all of Australia s playoffs were centralised in Doha The Socceroos began their quest with a 2 1 win over the United Arab Emirates to face fifth place CONMEBOL qualification finisher Peru a rematch of the 2018 FIFA World Cup 74 This time around Australia held Peru goalless before winning on penalties to make it to the 2022 FIFA World Cup Australia was drawn in group D along with world champions France Denmark and Tunisia 75 Australia s qualification also meant that the Asian confederation had the largest number of teams in their World Cup history with six countries qualifying 76 As preparation for the World Cup Australia played two friendlies against neighbouring New Zealand winning both games 77 78 It began its World Cup quest on 23 November against world champions France losing 4 1 despite initially taking the lead with goal from Craig Goodwin 79 Three days later Australia registered its first World Cup win since 2010 overcoming Tunisia with a header from Mitchell Duke to seal a 1 0 win sending Australia from bottom to second place 80 Four days later against UEFA Euro 2020 semi finalists Denmark Australia won 1 0 thanks to a Mathew Leckie goal Australia finished the group stage in second place behind France on goal difference making Australia the first Asian representative to reach the knockout stage in Qatar 2022 81 Australia s resurgence in the group stage was widely watched and followed by Australian supporters Mass celebrations occurred after the upsets over Tunisia and Denmark and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it magnificent 82 83 84 In the round of 16 Australia lost 2 1 to Argentina with Lionel Messi opening the scoring and Julian Alvarez getting the second after dispossessing Mathew Ryan Australia pulled one back when Goodwin s shot deflected into goal off Enzo Fernandez and Garang Kuol almost scored the equaliser in injury time but his shot was smothered by Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez 85 Team image editMedia coverage edit Australian matches are broadcast by Paramount and on free to air by Network 10 86 Previous coverage has been provided by Fox Sports 2018 2021 87 Ten network on its 10 Bold channel ABC 88 SBS until 2016 and Nine on its 9Go channel 2016 2017 The national team has set multiple ratings records for both subscription and free to air television Australia s final 2006 World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay was the highest rating program in SBS history with an audience of 3 4 million viewers 89 while a 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Uzbekistan set a record for the highest subscription television audience with an average of 431 000 viewers 90 The 2015 Asian Cup Final against South Korea had a total reach of 5 3 million Australians overall 91 Kit edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Australia national soccer team kits nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Australia s first national kit 1922 Australia s first kit was sky blue with a maroon hoop on the socks the colours representing the states of New South Wales and Queensland a look that was reminiscent of the Australian national rugby league team s strips of the period 92 They wore the predominantly light blue kit until 1924 when they changed to green and gold 93 Australia has worn a yellow jersey usually accompanied by green shorts and yellow socks since the 1960s The colour of the socks altered throughout the 1970s 1980s and 1990s from white to the same green as the shorts to the same yellow colour as the jersey This peculiarity of the uniform refers to exactly the combination of colours used in it although the country s flag has the colours blue red and white the selection uses shades of green and yellow That s because unlike many national teams who base their colours on the flag the Australian team uses as a base the colours of a typical plant in the country the acacia which has green leaves and yellow flowers Their current away kit is a turquoise shirt with a gold stripe on either side of the shirt the coat of arms being on top of a navy background It is accompanied by navy shorts also containing the gold stripes and turquoise socks Australia s kits have been produced by manufacturers including Umbro Adidas KingRoo and since 2004 by Nike 94 Rather than displaying the logo of Football Australia Australia s jersey traditionally features the coat of arms of Australia over the left breast The team first wore the traditional green and yellow colours in 1924 95 Australia s 1974 World Cup kits were produced by Adidas as were all other national team kits in the tournament with Adidas sponsoring the event The kits however contained Umbro branding due to the manufacturer s Australian partnership at the time 96 Nike renewed the kit manufacturer deal with FFA for another 11 years in 2012 handing them the rights to make national team kits until 2022 97 In the lead up to the 2014 World Cup the new kits to be worn by the team were revealed The design of the new kits included a plain yellow shirt with a green collar plain dark green shorts and white socks a tribute to the 1974 Socceroos Inside the back of the neck also had woven the quote We Socceroos can do the impossible from Peter Wilson the captain of the 1974 Australian team 98 This kit was well received 99 In March 2016 FFA revealed the new Socceroos kit which featured a yellow jersey yellow shorts and green socks This was reportedly in accordance with a FIFA directive instructing all national teams to have matching shirts and shorts 100 101 This kit was met with wide public contention primarily due to the colour change of the shorts from the traditional green to yellow 100 101 102 103 104 Kit suppliers edit This list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items June 2018 Kit supplier Period NotesUmbro 1974 1983 1974 FIFA World Cup jerseys were manufactured by Adidas but featured an Umbro logo Adidas 1983 1989Kingroo 1990 1993Patrick 1993Adidas 1993 2004Nike 2004 present Current deal runs until 2033 105 Nickname edit nbsp Socceroos livery on a Qantas 747 400Australia s nickname Socceroos was coined in 1967 by Sydney journalist Tony Horstead in his coverage of the team on a goodwill tour to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War 106 It is commonly used by both the Australian people and the governing body the FFA 107 The nickname represents a cultural propensity for the use of colloquialisms in the country It also represents the Australian English use of the sport s name 108 109 The name itself is similar to most other Australian national representative sporting team nicknames used informally when referring to the team in the media or in conversation Similarly the name is derived from a well known symbol of Australia in this case the kangaroo The words soccer and kangaroo are combined into a portmanteau word as soccer roo such as Olyroos for the Australia Olympic soccer team 110 or Hockeyroos for the Australian national women s hockey team Rivalries edit nbsp One of the matches of the 2006 World Cup was a group stage match between Australia and Japan at Fritz Walter Stadion in Kaiserslautern Germany New Zealand edit Main article Australia New Zealand soccer rivalry Australia s longtime rivals are trans Tasman neighbours New Zealand 111 The two teams history dates back to 1922 where they first met in both their international debuts The rivalry between the Socceroos and the All Whites New Zealand is part of a wider friendly rivalry between the neighbours Australia and New Zealand which applies not only to sport but to the culture of the two countries The rivalry was intensified when Australia and New Zealand were both members of the OFC regularly competing in OFC Nations Cup finals and in FIFA World Cup qualifications where only one team from the OFC progressed to the World Cup Since Australia left the OFC to join the AFC in 2006 competition between the two teams has been infrequent with the occasional match still receiving much media and public attention 112 Japan edit Main article Australia Japan football rivalry After joining the AFC Australia began to develop a fierce rivalry with fellow Asian powerhouse Japan 113 The rivalry began at the 2006 World Cup where the two countries were grouped together The rivalry continued with the two countries meeting regularly in various AFC competitions including the 2011 Asian Cup final and qualification for the 2010 2014 2018 and 2022 World Cups 114 South Korea edit Main article Australia South Korea football rivalry Another major rival within Asia is South Korea who Australia came up against in three World Cup qualification campaigns in the 1970s and since joining the AFC have met regularly including the victory by Australia in the 2015 Asian Cup final 115 Uruguay edit Main article Australia Uruguay football rivalry A rivalry exists with Uruguay since their first meeting on the eve of the 1974 FIFA World Cup Both nations have faced each other in consecutive World Cup play offs in 2001 and 2005 with each nation winning a playoff final each to progress through to the World Cup Australia and Uruguay also faced off in the 1997 Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia with Australia progressing through to the final against Brazil via a golden goal winner from Harry Kewell 116 Supporters edit The main supporter group of the Australian national team is Australian Active Support AAS 117 AAS then known as Socceroos Active Support SAS was founded in January 2015 as an independent group 118 who uses social media to organise and keep in touch This replaced the former active support group Terrace Australis 119 who were founded by Football Federation Australia and fans in 2013 during Australia s 2014 World Cup qualification campaign 120 Its establishment came in the wake of poor off field action and minimal community engagement 121 Previously the emergence of Terrace Australis saw the Green and Gold Army relinquish its role as a hub for active support which it had claimed since its establishment in 2001 122 123 Since the 2015 AFC Asian Cup triumph the supporters had encouraged people in Australia to focus more on the national team and the nation s soccer pride Home stadium edit Australia does not have a dedicated national stadium instead the team plays at different venues throughout the country for exhibition or tournament purposes In recent years major international matches have usually been rotated around various large grounds including Stadium Australia in Sydney Hunter Stadium in Newcastle and Docklands Stadium in Melbourne International matches have also been played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne and Canberra Stadium in Canberra Australia has played at the Gabba in Brisbane which hosted Australia s first international match on home soil in 1923 a 2 1 win over New Zealand It was the fourth Australian team match overall with the first three internationals played in New Zealand 124 Other venues which regularly hosted international home matches included Olympic Park Stadium in Melbourne the Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney Sports Ground Sydney Showground and Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney and Subiaco Oval in Perth Games in England edit Since the 2003 friendly against England the Socceroos have also played a significant number of games in England especially London since a high proportion of the senior team play in European leagues This includes games at Craven Cottage in Fulham Fulham Football Club s home ground Loftus Road in Shepherd s Bush Queens Park Rangers home ground and The Den in Bermondsey Millwall Football Club s home ground Results and fixtures editMain article Australia national soccer team results 2020 present Further information 2022 23 in Australian soccer and 2023 24 in Australian soccer The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months as well as any future matches that have been scheduled Win Draw Loss Fixture 2023 edit Australia nbsp v nbsp Ecuador 24 March FriendlyAustralia nbsp 3 1 nbsp EcuadorSydney Australia20 00 AEDT Irvine nbsp 12 Mabil nbsp 32 Kuol nbsp 84 Report Torres nbsp 23 Stadium Western Sydney Stadium Attendance 20 668Referee Kim Dae yong South Korea Australia nbsp v nbsp Ecuador 28 March FriendlyAustralia nbsp 1 2 nbsp EcuadorMelbourne Australia19 30 AEDT Borrello nbsp 16 Report Estupinan nbsp 51 pen Pacho nbsp 65 Stadium Docklands Stadium Attendance 27 103Referee Chae Sang hyeop South Korea Argentina nbsp v nbsp Australia 15 June FriendlyArgentina nbsp 2 0 nbsp AustraliaBeijing China20 00 UTC 8 Messi nbsp 2 Pezzella nbsp 68 Report Stadium Workers Stadium Attendance 68 000Referee Ma Ning China Mexico nbsp v nbsp Australia 9 September FriendlyMexico nbsp 2 2 nbsp AustraliaArlington United States21 00 UTC 5 Jimenez nbsp 69 pen Huerta nbsp 83 Report Souttar nbsp 16 Boyle nbsp 63 pen Stadium AT amp T Stadium Attendance 52 787Referee Rubio Vazquez United States England nbsp v nbsp Australia 13 October FriendlyEngland nbsp 1 0 nbsp AustraliaLondon England19 45 UTC 1 Watkins nbsp 57 Report Stadium Wembley Stadium Attendance 81 116Referee Stephanie Frappart France Australia nbsp v nbsp New Zealand 17 October Soccer AshesAustralia nbsp 2 0 nbsp New ZealandLondon England19 45 UTC 1 Duke nbsp 13 125 Irvine nbsp 76 Report Stadium Gtech Community Stadium Attendance 5 761Referee Stuart Attwell England Australia nbsp v nbsp Bangladesh 16 November 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2Australia nbsp 7 0 nbsp BangladeshMelbourne Australia20 00 UTC 11 Souttar nbsp 4 Borrello nbsp 20 Duke nbsp 37 40 Maclaren nbsp 48 70 84 Report Stadium Melbourne Rectangular Stadium Attendance 20 876Referee Ahrol Risqullaev Uzbekistan Palestine nbsp v nbsp Australia 21 November 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2Palestine nbsp 0 1 nbsp AustraliaKuwait City Kuwait a 17 00 UTC 3 Report Souttar nbsp 18 Stadium Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium Attendance 14 537Referee Qasim Al Hatmi Oman 2024 edit Bahrain nbsp v nbsp Australia 6 January FriendlyBahrain nbsp 0 2 nbsp AustraliaAbu Dhabi United Arab Emirates18 00 UTC 4 Report Benaddi nbsp 36 o g Duke nbsp 61 Stadium Baniyas Stadium Referee Mohamed Al Harmoodi United Arab Emirates Australia nbsp v nbsp India 13 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stageAustralia nbsp 2 0 nbsp IndiaAl Rayyan Qatar14 30 UTC 3 Irvine nbsp 50 Bos nbsp 73 Report Stadium Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Attendance 35 253Referee Yoshimi Yamashita Japan Syria nbsp v nbsp Australia 18 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stageSyria nbsp 0 1 nbsp AustraliaAl Rayyan Qatar14 30 UTC 3 Report Irvine nbsp 59 Stadium Jassim bin Hamad Stadium Attendance 10 097Referee Adel Al Naqbi United Arab Emirates Australia nbsp v nbsp Uzbekistan 23 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stageAustralia nbsp 1 1 nbsp UzbekistanAl Wakrah Qatar14 30 UTC 3 Boyle nbsp 45 1 pen Report Turgunboev nbsp 78 Stadium Al Janoub Stadium Attendance 15 290Referee Yusuke Araki Japan Australia nbsp v nbsp Indonesia 28 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup round of 16Australia nbsp 4 0 nbsp IndonesiaAl Rayyan Qatar14 30 UTC 3 Baggott nbsp 12 o g Boyle nbsp 45 Goodwin nbsp 89 Souttar nbsp 90 1 Report Stadium Jassim bin Hamad Stadium Attendance 7 863Referee Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed United Arab Emirates Australia nbsp v nbsp South Korea 2 February 2023 AFC Asian Cup quarter finalsAustralia nbsp 1 2 a e t nbsp South KoreaAl Wakrah Qatar18 30 UTC 3 Goodwin nbsp 42 Report H C Hwang nbsp 90 6 pen Son nbsp 104 Stadium Al Janoub Stadium Attendance 39 632Referee Ahmed Al Kaf Oman Australia nbsp v nbsp Lebanon 21 March 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2Australia nbsp v nbsp LebanonSydney Australia20 00 UTC 11 Source Stadium Western Sydney Stadium Lebanon nbsp v nbsp Australia 26 March 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2Lebanon nbsp v nbsp AustraliaCanberra Australia b 19 45 UTC 11 Source Stadium Canberra Stadium Bangladesh nbsp v nbsp Australia 6 June 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2Bangladesh nbsp v nbsp AustraliaBangladeshSource Australia nbsp v nbsp Palestine 11 June 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Round 2Australia nbsp v nbsp PalestinePerth Australia20 05 UTC 8 Source Stadium Perth Rectangular StadiumCoaching staff editSee also List of Australia national soccer team managers As of November 2023 128 Position NameHead coach nbsp Graham ArnoldAssistant coach nbsp Rene MeulensteenAssistant coach nbsp Tony VidmarGoalkeeper coach nbsp John CrawleyPlayers editFor all past and present players who have appeared for the national team see List of Australia men s international soccer players See also List of Australia national soccer team captains Current squad edit The following 25 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification AFC second round matches against Lebanon 129 Caps and goals correct as of 3 February 2024 after the match against South Korea No Pos Player Date of birth age Caps Goals Club1 GK Mathew Ryan captain 1992 04 08 8 April 1992 age 31 91 0 nbsp AZ1 GK Joe Gauci 2000 07 04 4 July 2000 age 23 2 0 nbsp Aston Villa1 GK Tom Glover 1997 12 24 24 December 1997 age 26 0 0 nbsp Middlesbrough2 DF Harry Souttar 1998 10 22 22 October 1998 age 25 27 11 nbsp Leicester City2 DF Kye Rowles 1998 06 24 24 June 1998 age 25 18 0 nbsp Heart of Midlothian2 DF Nathaniel Atkinson 1999 06 13 13 June 1999 age 24 12 0 nbsp Heart of Midlothian2 DF Jordan Bos 2002 10 29 29 October 2002 age 21 12 1 nbsp Westerlo2 DF Cameron Burgess 1995 10 21 21 October 1995 age 28 6 0 nbsp Ipswich Town2 DF Lewis Miller 2000 08 24 24 August 2000 age 23 6 0 nbsp Hibernian2 DF Gethin Jones 1995 10 13 13 October 1995 age 28 4 0 nbsp Bolton Wanderers2 DF Thomas Deng 1997 03 20 20 March 1997 age 26 3 0 nbsp Albirex Niigata3 MF Jackson Irvine 1993 03 07 7 March 1993 age 31 66 11 nbsp St Pauli3 MF Ajdin Hrustic 1996 07 05 5 July 1996 age 27 24 3 nbsp Heracles Almelo3 MF Riley McGree 1998 11 02 2 November 1998 age 25 24 1 nbsp Middlesbrough3 MF Connor Metcalfe 1999 11 05 5 November 1999 age 24 19 0 nbsp St Pauli3 MF Keanu Baccus 1998 06 07 7 June 1998 age 25 17 0 nbsp St Mirren3 MF Patrick Yazbek 2002 04 05 5 April 2002 age 21 0 0 nbsp Viking4 FW Mitchell Duke 1991 01 18 18 January 1991 age 33 37 12 nbsp Machida Zelvia4 FW Craig Goodwin 1991 12 16 16 December 1991 age 32 24 4 nbsp Al Wehda4 FW Adam Taggart 1993 06 02 2 June 1993 age 30 16 6 nbsp Perth Glory4 FW Brandon Borrello 1995 07 25 25 July 1995 age 28 11 2 nbsp Western Sydney Wanderers4 FW Bruno Fornaroli 1987 09 07 7 September 1987 age 36 7 0 nbsp Melbourne Victory4 FW Samuel Silvera 2000 10 25 25 October 2000 age 23 5 0 nbsp Middlesbrough4 FW Kusini Yengi 1999 01 15 15 January 1999 age 25 4 0 nbsp Portsmouth4 FW John Iredale 1999 08 01 1 August 1999 age 24 0 0 nbsp SV Wehen WiesbadenRecent call ups edit The following players have been called up within the last 12 months Pos Player Date of birth age Caps Goals Club Latest call upGK Lawrence Thomas 1992 05 09 9 May 1992 age 31 1 0 nbsp Western Sydney Wanderers v nbsp South Korea 3 February 2024GK Ashley Maynard Brewer 1999 06 25 25 June 1999 age 24 0 0 nbsp Charlton Athletic v nbsp Palestine 21 November 2023GK Andrew Redmayne 1989 01 13 13 January 1989 age 35 4 0 nbsp Sydney FC v nbsp New Zealand 18 October 2023DF Aziz Behich 1990 12 16 16 December 1990 age 33 69 2 nbsp Al Nassr v nbsp South Korea 3 February 2024DF Ryan Strain 1997 04 02 2 April 1997 age 26 5 0 nbsp St Mirren v nbsp Palestine 21 November 2023DF Alessandro Circati 2003 10 10 10 October 2003 age 20 1 0 nbsp Parma v nbsp Palestine 21 November 2023DF Milos Degenek 1994 04 28 28 April 1994 age 29 45 1 nbsp Red Star Belgrade v nbsp New Zealand 18 October 2023DF Joel King 2000 10 30 30 October 2000 age 23 4 0 nbsp Sydney FC v nbsp Argentina 15 June 2023DF Gianni Stensness 1999 02 07 7 February 1999 age 25 2 0 nbsp Viking v nbsp Argentina 15 June 2023DF Bailey Wright 1992 07 28 28 July 1992 age 31 29 2 nbsp Lion City Sailors v nbsp Ecuador 28 March 2023MF Aiden O Neill 1998 07 04 4 July 1998 age 25 13 0 nbsp Standard Liege v nbsp South Korea 3 February 2024MF Massimo Luongo 1992 09 25 25 September 1992 age 31 45 6 nbsp Ipswich Town v nbsp Palestine 21 November 2023 RETMF Alexander Robertson 2003 04 17 17 April 2003 age 20 2 0 nbsp Portsmouth v nbsp New Zealand 18 October 2023MF Denis Genreau 1999 05 21 21 May 1999 age 24 6 0 nbsp Toulouse v nbsp Mexico 9 September 2023MF Cameron Devlin 1998 06 07 7 June 1998 age 25 2 0 nbsp Heart of Midlothian v nbsp Mexico 9 September 2023MF Aaron Mooy 1990 09 15 15 September 1990 age 33 57 7 Retired v nbsp Ecuador 24 March 2023 RETFW Martin Boyle 1993 04 25 25 April 1993 age 30 28 8 nbsp Hibernian v nbsp South Korea 3 February 2024FW Marco Tilio 2001 08 23 23 August 2001 age 22 9 0 nbsp Melbourne City v nbsp South Korea 3 February 2024FW Jamie Maclaren 1993 07 29 29 July 1993 age 30 32 11 nbsp Melbourne City v nbsp Palestine 21 November 2023FW Awer Mabil 1995 09 15 15 September 1995 age 28 33 9 nbsp Grasshoppers v nbsp New Zealand 18 October 2023FW Mohamed Toure 2004 03 26 26 March 2004 age 19 1 0 nbsp Paris FC v nbsp New Zealand 18 October 2023FW Nicholas D Agostino 1998 02 25 25 February 1998 age 26 3 0 nbsp Viking v nbsp Mexico 9 September 2023FW Mathew Leckie 1991 02 04 4 February 1991 age 33 78 14 nbsp Melbourne City v nbsp Mexico 9 September 2023 INJFW Garang Kuol 2004 09 15 15 September 2004 age 19 5 1 nbsp Volendam v nbsp Ecuador 28 March 2023FW Jason Cummings 1995 08 01 1 August 1995 age 28 3 1 nbsp Mohun Bagan v nbsp Ecuador 28 March 2023FW Nestory Irankunda 2006 02 09 9 February 2006 age 18 0 0 nbsp Adelaide United v nbsp Ecuador 28 March 2023INJ Withdrew due to injury RET RetiredRecords editMain article Australia men s national soccer team records and statistics Australia currently hold the world record for the largest win and the most goals scored by a player in an international match 130 Both records were achieved during the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification match against American Samoa on 11 April 2001 Australia won 31 0 with Archie Thompson scoring 13 goals and David Zdrilic scoring 8 130 131 Two days before the 31 0 win Australia broke the record for largest win with a 22 0 win over Tonga 132 With 13 and 8 goals respectively both Thompson and Zdrilic broke the previous record jointly held by another Australian Gary Cole who scored seven goals against Fiji in 1981 133 and Iranian Karim Bagheri who also scored seven goals against Maldives in 1997 134 As of 3 February 2024 135 136 Most capped players edit nbsp Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is the most capped player in the history of Australia with 109 caps Rank Name Caps Goals Position Career1 Mark Schwarzer 109 0 GK 1993 20132 Tim Cahill 108 50 FW 2004 20183 Lucas Neill 96 1 DF 1996 20134 Brett Emerton 95 20 MF 1998 20125 Mathew Ryan 91 0 GK 2012 present6 Alex Tobin 87 2 DF 1988 19987 Mark Bresciano 84 13 MF 2001 2015Paul Wade 84 10 MF 1986 19969 Mark Milligan 80 6 MF 2006 2019Luke Wilkshire 80 8 DF 2004 2014Top goalscorers edit nbsp Tim Cahill is Australia s top scorer with 50 goals Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career1 Tim Cahill list 50 108 0 46 2004 20182 Damian Mori 29 45 0 64 1992 20023 Archie Thompson 28 54 0 52 2001 20134 John Aloisi 27 55 0 49 1993 20085 John Kosmina 25 60 0 42 1977 1988Attila Abonyi 25 61 0 41 1967 19777 David Zdrilic 20 31 0 65 1997 2010Mile Jedinak 20 79 0 25 2008 2018Brett Emerton 20 95 0 21 1998 201210 Graham Arnold 19 56 0 34 1985 1997Most clean sheets edit Rank Name Clean sheets Caps Ratio Career1 Mark Schwarzer 44 109 0 4 1993 20132 Mathew Ryan 33 91 0 36 2012 present3 Zeljko Kalac 24 54 0 44 1992 20064 Jeff Olver 13 37 0 35 1985 19895 Robert Zabica 12 27 0 44 1990 1994Competitive record editFor the all time record of the national team against opposing nations see Australia national soccer team all time record OverviewEvent 1st place 2nd place 3rd place 4th placeFIFA World Cup 0 0 0 0FIFA Confederations Cup 0 1 1 0AFC Asian Cup 1 1 0 0OFC Nations Cup 4 2 0 0Total 5 4 1 0FIFA World Cup edit Main article Australia at the FIFA World Cup Australia s FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualificationYear Host Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pos Pld W D L GF GA1930 to 1962 Not a member of FIFA Not a member of FIFA1966 nbsp England Did not qualify Final Round 2 0 0 2 2 91970 nbsp Mexico Final Round 9 3 5 1 12 81974 nbsp West Germany Group stage 14th 3 0 1 2 0 5 Squad Final Round 11 5 5 1 21 101978 nbsp Argentina Did not qualify 4th 12 6 2 4 20 111982 nbsp Spain 2nd 8 4 2 2 22 91986 nbsp Mexico 1st PO 8 4 3 1 20 41990 nbsp Italy 2nd 6 2 2 2 11 71994 nbsp United States 1st PO 10 7 1 2 21 71998 nbsp France 1st PO 8 6 2 0 34 52002 nbsp South Korea nbsp Japan 1st PO 8 7 0 1 73 42006 nbsp Germany Round of 16 16th 4 1 1 2 5 6 Squad 1st PO 9 7 1 1 31 52010 nbsp South Africa Group stage 21st 3 1 1 1 3 6 Squad 1st 14 9 3 2 19 42014 nbsp Brazil Group stage 30th 3 0 0 3 3 9 Squad 2nd 14 8 4 2 25 122018 nbsp Russia Group stage 30th 3 0 1 2 2 5 Squad 3rd PO 22 14 6 2 51 182022 nbsp Qatar Round of 16 11th 4 2 0 2 4 6 Squad 3rd PO 20 13 4 3 45 122026 nbsp Canada nbsp Mexico nbsp United States To be determined In progress 2 2 0 0 8 02030 nbsp Morocco nbsp Portugal nbsp Spain To be determined2034 nbsp Saudi ArabiaTotal Round of 16 6 15 20 4 4 12 17 37 163 97 40 26 415 125Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks From 1966 to 2006 played as a full member of the OFCSince 2010 played as a full member of the AFC FIFA Confederations Cup edit Main article Australia at the FIFA Confederations Cup Australia s FIFA Confederations Cup recordYear Host Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA1992 nbsp Saudi Arabia No OFC representative invited1995 nbsp Saudi Arabia1997 nbsp Saudi Arabia Runners up 2nd 5 2 1 2 4 81999 nbsp Mexico Did not qualify2001 nbsp South Korea nbsp Japan Third place 3rd 5 3 0 2 4 22003 nbsp France Did not qualify2005 nbsp Germany Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 5 102009 nbsp South Africa Did not qualify2013 nbsp Brazil2017 nbsp Russia Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 4 5Total 0 titles 4 10 16 5 3 8 17 25AFC Asian Cup edit Main article Australia at the AFC Asian Cup Australia s AFC Asian Cup record AFC Asian Cup qualificationYear Host Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Group Pos Pld W D L GF GA1956 2004 Not a member of the AFC Not a member of the AFC2007 nbsp Indonesia nbsp Malaysia nbsp Thailand nbsp Vietnam Quarter finals 7th 4 1 2 1 7 5 Squad 1st 4 3 0 1 7 32011 nbsp Qatar Runners up 2nd 6 4 1 1 13 2 Squad 1st 6 3 2 1 6 42015 nbsp Australia Champions 1st 6 5 0 1 14 3 Squad Qualified as hosts2019 nbsp United Arab Emirates Quarter finals 7th 5 2 1 2 6 4 Squad 1st 8 7 0 1 29 42023 nbsp Qatar Quarter finals 6th 5 3 1 1 9 3 Squad 1st 8 8 0 0 28 22027 nbsp Saudi Arabia To be determined In progress 2 2 0 0 8 0Total 1 title 5 19 26 15 5 6 49 17 28 23 2 3 78 13 Champions Runners up Third place semi finalists Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil Australia played their 2007 matches in Thailand and Vietnam Summer Olympics edit Main article Football at the Summer Olympics Australia s Summer Olympics record Summer Olympics qualificationYear Host Round Position Pld W D L GF GA GP W D L GS GA1908 1952 Did not participate1956 nbsp Melbourne Quarter finals 5th 2 1 0 1 4 4 Qualified as Host1960 nbsp Rome Withdrew Withdrew1964 nbsp Tokyo Did not enter Did not enter1968 nbsp Mexico City1972 nbsp Munich1976 nbsp Montreal1980 nbsp Moscow1984 nbsp Los Angeles1988 nbsp Seoul Quarter finals 7th 4 2 0 2 2 6 8 6 2 0 18 41992 present See Australia national under 23 teamTotal 0 titles 2 17 6 3 0 3 6 10 8 6 2 0 18 4OFC Nations Cup edit Main article Australia at the OFC Nations Cup Australia s OFC Nations Cup recordYear Result Position Pld W D L GF GA nbsp 1973 Did not participate nbsp 1980 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 24 41996 Champions 1st 4 3 1 0 14 0 nbsp 1998 Runners up 2nd 4 3 0 1 23 3 nbsp 2000 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 26 0 nbsp 2002 Runners up 2nd 5 4 0 1 23 2 nbsp 2004 Champions 1st 7 6 1 0 32 42008 present Not OFC memberTotal 4 titles 6 10 28 24 2 2 142 13AFC OFC Challenge Cup edit Main article AFC OFC Challenge Cup Australia s OFC Nations Cup recordYear Result Position Pld W D L GF GA nbsp 2001 Runners up 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 3 nbsp 2003 Did not qualifyTotal 0 titles 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 3AFF Championship edit Main article AFF Championship Since joining the AFF in 2013 Australia has never competed in this event Minor tournaments edit Year Position GP W D L GF GA nbsp 1922 Soccer Ashes 2nd 3 0 1 2 3 7 nbsp 1923 Soccer Ashes 2nd 3 1 0 2 5 8 nbsp 1933 Soccer Ashes 1st 3 3 0 0 14 8 nbsp 1936 Soccer Ashes 1st 3 3 0 0 21 2 nbsp 1948 Soccer Ashes 1st 4 4 0 0 17 0 nbsp 1954 Soccer Ashes 1st 3 2 0 1 9 4 nbsp 1967 South Vietnam Independence Cup 1st 5 5 0 0 15 6 nbsp 1982 Merlion Cup 1st 4 4 0 0 14 2 nbsp nbsp 1983 Trans Tasman Trophy 2nd 2 0 0 2 1 4 nbsp 1983 Merlion Cup 1st 4 3 0 1 10 5 nbsp 1984 China Australia Ampol Cup 2nd 1 0 0 1 2 3 nbsp 1985 China Australia Ampol Cup 1st 1 1 0 0 3 0 nbsp nbsp 1986 Trans Tasman Trophy 1st 2 1 1 0 3 2 nbsp 1986 China Australia Ampol Cup 1st 1 1 0 0 2 0 nbsp 1987 President s Cup 2nd 3 2 1 0 2 1 nbsp nbsp 1987 Trans Tasman Trophy 2nd 2 0 1 1 1 2 nbsp 1988 Australia Bicentenary Gold Cup 2nd 4 2 0 2 7 4 nbsp nbsp 1988 Trans Tasman Trophy 1st 2 2 0 0 4 1 nbsp 1990 Independence Cup 1st 1 1 0 0 3 0 nbsp nbsp 1991 Trans Tasman Trophy 1st 2 2 0 0 3 1 nbsp 1991 President s Cup 2nd 1 0 1 0 0 0 nbsp 1992 Independence Cup 3rd 2 1 0 1 3 1 nbsp 1994 Kirin Cup 2nd 2 0 1 1 1 2 nbsp nbsp 1995 Trans Tasman Trophy 1st 2 1 1 0 3 0 nbsp 1996 Simba Cup 2nd 3 2 0 1 6 2 nbsp 2000 Copa Ciudad de Valparaiso 4th 3 0 2 1 2 3 nbsp 2000 LG Cup UAE 3rd 2 1 0 1 3 4 nbsp 2001 AFC OFC Challenge Cup 2nd 1 0 0 1 0 3Total 14 titles 69 42 9 17 150 75All time record editMain article Australia national soccer team all time recordFIFA Rankings editGraphs are unavailable due to technical issues There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki org A line chart depicting the history of Australia s year end placements in the FIFA World Rankings Last update was on 2 February 2024 Source 137 Best Ranking Worst Ranking Best Mover Worst Mover Australia s FIFA world rankingsRank Year GamesPlayed Best WorstRank Move Rank Move25 2023 8 25 nbsp 2 29 nbsp 227 2022 13 27 nbsp 8 42 nbsp 635 2021 10 32 nbsp 6 41 nbsp 241 2020 0 41 nbsp 1 42 nbsp 142 2019 10 41 nbsp 2 46 nbsp 341 2018 11 32 nbsp 4 43 nbsp 738 2017 13 38 nbsp 7 55 nbsp 1047 2016 10 40 nbsp 17 68 nbsp 957 2015 14 57 nbsp 37 100 nbsp 2 100 2014 11 53 nbsp 4 102 nbsp 1458 2013 12 36 span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games. | ||||