Australia had to stick to the very end of their qualifiers round to secure a place at the FIFA World Cup 2022. But the Socceroos were one of the few teams who published their 26-man squad for the event in Qatar quite early.
For Australia FIFA 2022 is their fifth consecutive appearance at the tournament but the team has never been able to make it out of the group stages. This time they definitely want to extend their run beyond the first stage.
Who are the players that Australia is taking to their 26-man squad for FIFA 2022?
The Confirmed List Of Players Going To Qatar For Australia
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Maty Ryan | FC Copenhagen (DEN) | 30 | 75 |
| Goalkeeper | Andrew Redmayne | Sydney FC (AUS) | 33 | 3 |
| Goalkeeper | Danny Vukovic | Central Coast Mariners (AUS) | 37 | 4 |
| Defender | Milos Degenek | Columbus Crew (USA) | 28 | 38 |
| Defender | Aziz Behich | Dundee United (SCO) | 31 | 53 |
| Defender | Joel King | OB (DAN) | 21 | 3 |
| Defender | Nathaniel Atkinson | Hearts (SCO) | 23 | 5 |
| Defender | Fran Karacic | Brescia (ITA) | 26 | 10 |
| Defender | Harry Souttar | Stoke City (ENG) | 23 | 10 |
| Defender | Kye Rowles | Hearts (SCO) | 24 | 3 |
| Defender | Bailey Wright | Sunderland (ENG) | 30 | 27 |
| Defender | Thomas Deng | Albirex Niigata (JAP) | 25 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Aaron Mooy | Celtic (SCO) | 32 | 53 |
| Midfielder | Jackson Irvine | St Pauli (GER) | 29 | 49 |
| Midfielder | Ajdin Hrustic | Hellas Verona (ITA) | 26 | 20 |
| Midfielder | Keanu Baccus | St Mirren (SCO | 29 | 53 |
| Midfielder | Cameron Devlin | Hearts (SCO) | 24 | 1 |
| Midfielder | Riley McGree | Middlesbrough (ENG) | 23 | 10 |
| Forward | Awer Mabil | Cadiz (SPA) | 27 | 29 |
| Forward | Mathew Leckie | Melbourne City (AUS) | 31 | 72 |
| Forward | Martin Boyle | Hibernian (SCO) | 29 | 19 |
| Forward | Jamie Maclaren | Melbourne City (AUS) | 29 | 26 |
| Forward | Jason Cummings | Central Coast Mariners (AUS) | 27 | 1 |
| Forward | Mitchell Duke | Fagiano Okayama (JAP) | 31 | 20 |
| Forward | Garang Kuol | Central Coast Mariners (AUS) | 18 | 1 |
| Forward | Craig Goodwin | Adelaide United (AUS) | 30 | 10 |
Group Table
Two teams, France and Denmark from their group stage are the same opponents they faced four years ago in the tournament’s same stage. The only difference is that in 2018 they had Peru while they now have Tunisia as their third group-contender.
Australia Group Fixtures
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Tue, Nov. 22 | France vs. Australia | 2 p.m. | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Sat, Nov. 26 | Tunisia vs. Australia | 5 a.m. | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 30 | Australia vs. Denmark | 10 a.m. | Al Janoub Stadium |
Australia Strengths
They are also among the teams that have a well-balanced mixture of youth and experience.
Australia has plenty of European club talents in the likes of Martin Boyle, Awer Mabil, Riley McGree, Cameron Devlin, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Maty Ryan, Fran Karacic, Aaron Mooy, and others.
Regulars at the back, Harry Souttar, and Kye Rowels are both free of their injury problems just in time for the big event.
Playing at the Scottish top flight, Mooy and Boyle are also on the squad list. For some time, they have been the two consistent performers of their national team.
Their playmaker, Ajdin Hrustic has also been showing some potential to match the top club-playing midfielders. Recently Hrustic has been increasing his creativity to move the ball forward in every other game. And there are several others each akin to the abilities mentioned above. In fact, never has the Australian midfield seen so many talented options in comparison to their previous international tournaments.
The defense also has the notable presence of Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles who recently has been getting the attention of the European clubs’ favorites for Europa League competitions.
Australia Weaknesses
Two main men, Martin Boyle and Ajdin Hruat might not be able to give their 100% at the tournament due to their recent injury problems.
Since the retirement of Tim Cahill, Australia hasn’t had an assured man in the attacking line. They did have fun scoring against weaker teams in the qualifiers round but couldn’t find the net when going toe to toe against Japan and other Asian big names.
Due to the lack of a proper converter ahead, at times, it seems like scoring goals just isn’t in the cards for them.
They also struggle when it’s their turn to have prolonged possession, especially against a team that likes to sit back. They are also too slow to reorganize their defense when a transition is being run against them.
Expectations On Australia
France and Denmark are clearly looking at Australia as a fixture promising enough to give them three points. And it very well may be the case as both the aforesaid teams have far bigger talents either in their midfield or attack and even the defense than Australia currently possesses.
While they first face the reigning world champion France in the group stage, it’s their second match against Tunisia where their aspirations to achieve something new in the FIFA tournament should be the highest ever. If they do get 3 points from the African team, they might become a relatively bigger headache for Denmark than expected.
However considering two clear favorites in the group stage, this time, too, Australia has very small odds of making it past the group phase.
