Australia enjoyed a strong qualifying campaign for the World Cup. Beginning in the second round of the Asian qualifiers, they topped their group with 18 points from six wins, no draws, and no losses. They then advanced to the third round with relative ease, losing just once across both stages of AFC qualifying while finishing behind Japan, the first team to secure a place at the 2026 World Cup.
Seventeen members of the Australian squad are set to appear at the tournament for the first time, marking the start of a new era for the national team. Even so, Australia will lean on a few veterans, chief among them captain and goalkeeper Matthew Ryan. With 103 caps, he is the most experienced player in the squad and will feature in his fourth World Cup, as will forward Mathew Leckie. Other experienced names include Aziz Behich, Milos Degenek, and Jackson Irvine, who will all take part in their third World Cup campaign.
Among the 17 first-time participants are several young talents, including Tete Yengi, a 25-year-old striker in the Australian national league whose performances caught the eye of coach Tony Popovic. A surprise inclusion is Cristian Volpato, the 22-year-old born and raised in Sydney who had long been courted by the Socceroos but repeatedly declined their advances until last month, when he pledged his allegiance to Australia after previously representing Italy at youth level.
Popovic sees considerable potential in Volpato. "He's a very talented, young player," the coach said, adding that the forward still has plenty of room to grow, which he believes is true of many players in the current squad. Popovic acknowledged that Volpato has not played as many minutes as he would have liked, but praised his technical quality, his left foot, and his composure under pressure, saying he is looking forward to working with him.
Martin Boyle, Kye Rowles, Brandon Borrello, and goalkeeper Joe Gauci were all cut from the pre-tournament training squad.
Australia has been drawn into Group D alongside the USA, Paraguay, and Türkiye. The Socceroos open their campaign against Türkiye on June 14 at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada. Five days later, they face hosts USA at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. To close out the group stage, they travel to Santa Clara, California, to take on Paraguay on June 25 at Levi's Stadium.
Australia 2026 World Squad:
Goalkeepers: Mathew Ryan (Levante), Paul Izzo (Randers), Patrick Beach (Melbourne City)
Defenders: Harry Souttar (Leicester City), Lucas Herrington (Colorado Rapids), Jacob Italiano (Grazer AK), Alessandro Circati (Parma), Cameron Burgess (Swansea City), Aziz Behich (Melbourne City), Jordan Bos (Feyenoord), Jason Geria (Albirex Niigata), Miloš Degenek (APOEL), Kai Trewin (New York City FC)
Midfielders: Jackson Irvine (FC St. Pauli), Aiden O’Neill (New York City FC), Connor Metcalfe (FC St. Pauli), Ajdin Hrustić (Heracles Almelo), Cameron Devlin (Hearts), Paul Okon-Engstler (Sydney FC)
Forwards: Nestory Irankunda (Watford), Mathew Leckie (Melbourne City), Nishan Velupillay (Melbourne Victory), Tete Yengi (Machida Zelvia), Awer Mabil (Castellón), Cristian Volpato (Sassuolo), Mohamed Touré (Norwich City)
