Subway Socceroos' Head Coach, Graham Arnold has named an extended 24-man squad to begin Australia's AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 campaign against Bahrain and Indonesia.
The September FIFA Men's International Window signifies the commencement of the Third Round of qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, with Australia to face Bahrain on the Gold Coast on Thursday, 5 September (kick-off 8pm AEST) before travelling to Jakarta to take on Indonesia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Tuesday, 10 September (kick-off 10pm AEST).
The Subway Socceroos' clash with Bahrain at Robina Stadium will be the first time the senior men's national team has played on the Gold Coast, with only a very limited number of tickets remaining available.
Arnold will assemble a squad that features many of the faces that helped Australia defeat Bangladesh away (2-0) and Palestine at home (5-0) in the final stage of Round Two, completing what was an undefeated run through Australia's first phase of qualification.
Craig Goodwin (Al Wehda FC) has been named following his return from injury and a scintillating start to the Saudi Pro League season, while captain Maty Ryan (AS Roma) also returns after being rested in June.
Lewis Miller (Hibernian FC) and Aiden O'Neill (Standard de Liège) have been selected following their successful returns from injury respectively, with Awer Mabil (Grasshopper Club Zurich) also earning a recall to the national team after a blistering start to his season in Switzerland - including 8 goal involvements in a recent Swiss Cup fixture.
Nestory Irankunda (FC Bayern Munich), Paul Izzo (Randers FC) and Harry Souttar (Sheffield United FC) have been named thanks to strong early season form with their new clubs. Alessandro Circati (Parma Calcio 1913) will arrive on the Gold Coast as a newly minted Serie A player, while both Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe (FC St Pauli) are fresh off Bundesliga debuts.
Gold Coast local, Kye Rowles (Heart of Midlothian FC) will be joined in camp by club teammate, Cam Devlin, while Kusini Yengi (Portsmouth FC) has shrugged off any injury concerns to make the trip with new Pompey teammate, Sam Silvera.
Subway Socceroos' Head Coach, Graham Arnold said a strong start to his side's Round Three Qualifiers would be extremely important.
"Our full focus is on these opening two games and starting strongly. Two positive results to open Round Three not only builds belief within the group but gives us great momentum as we move into what will be three consecutive windows," Arnold said.
"The standards we set are always high and they've played a significant role in the growth of this group and what we were able to achieve in Round Two. The players understand what's expected of them in terms of their focus, preparation and energy in camp as we move into the next stage of qualification.
"We've got a great mix of players who've been through this phase of qualification before and can lead the way for some of the younger members of our squad, their experience will play an important role throughout this journey," Arnold concluded.
Scheduled to be played from September 2024 to June 2025, the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 will feature three groups of six teams playing in a home-and-away, round-robin format, offering direct qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ for the top two finishers of each group.
To find out all the latest information on fixtures, results and Third Round Qualification updates please click here.
The Subway Socceroos FIFA World Cup 2026™ Qualifiers will be broadcast live thanks to Football Australia's broadcast partner, Paramount Australia.
MATCH DETAILS:
Subway Socceroos v Bahrain
Thursday, 5 September 2024
Robina Stadium, Gold Coast
Kick-off: 8.00pm AEST
Tickets: Start from $15 Child, $20 Concession, $29 Adult, and $58 Family. Tickets from Ticketmaster.
Broadcast: 10 (Bold in Perth), 10 Play and Paramount+
Indonesia v Subway Socceroos
Tuesday 10 September 2024
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta
Kick-off: 7.00pm local / 10.00pm AEST
Broadcast: Paramount+
SUBWAY SOCCEROOS' SQUAD l SEPTEMBER FIFA MEN'S INTERNATIONAL WINDOW
| Name | Current Club, Country | 'A' Caps (Goals) | Junior Club (Member Federation/Country) |
| Keanu BACCUS | Mansfield Town FC, England | 19 (1) | Parklea FC / Football NSW |
| Aziz BEHICH | Melbourne City FC, Australia | 71 (2) | Meadow Park SC / Football VIC |
| Martin BOYLE | Hibernian FC, Scotland | 29 (9) | Lewis United FC / Montrose FC (Scotland) |
| Cameron BURGESS | Ipswich Town FC, England | 9 (0) | ECU Joondalup / Football West |
| Alessandro CIRCATI | Parma Calcio 1913, Italy | 2 (0) | Perth SC / Football West |
| Thomas DENG | Albirex Niigata, Japan | 4 (0) | Adelaide Blue Eagles / Football SA |
| Cameron DEVLIN | Heart of Midlothian FC, Scotland | 4 (0) | Sutherland Sharks FC / Football NSW |
| Mitchell DUKE | FC Machida Zelvia, Japan | 40 (12) | Liverpool Rangers SC / Football NSW |
| Joe GAUCI (Gk) | Aston Villa FC, England | 4 (0) | Cumberland United FC / Football SA |
| Craig GOODWIN | Al Wehda FC, Saudi Arabia | 25 (6) | Munno Para City FC / Football SA |
| Nestory IRANKUNDA | FC Bayern Munich, Germany | 2 (1) | Adelaide Croatia Raiders SC / Football SA |
| Jackson IRVINE | FC St Pauli, Germany | 70 (11) | Ringwood City SC / Football VIC |
| Paul IZZO (Gk) | Randers FC, Denmark | 0 | Campbelltown City SC / Football SA |
| Awer MABIL | Grasshopper Club Zurich, Switzerland | 33 (9) | Saint Augustines FC / Football SA |
| Connor METCALFE | FC St. Pauli, Germany | 23 (0) | South Cardiff FC / NNSW Football |
| Lewis MILLER | Hibernian FC, Scotland | 6 (0) | Pittwater RSL FC / Football NSW |
| Joshua NISBET | Ross County FC, Scotland | 2 (0) | St Mary's FC / Football QLD |
| Aiden O'NEILL | Standard de Liège, Belgium | 13 (0) | University of Queensland Football Club / Football QLD |
| Kye ROWLES | Heart of Midlothian FC, Scotland | 21 (1) | Palm Beach SC / Football QLD |
| Mat RYAN (c) | AS Roma, Italy | 93 (0) | Blacktown City FC / Football NSW |
| Sam SILVERA | Portsmouth FC, England | 6 (0) | Blacktown City FC / Football NSW |
| Harry SOUTTAR | Sheffield United FC, England | 30 (11) | Brechin City Boys Club (Scotland) |
| Adam TAGGART | Perth Glory FC, Australia | 20 (7) | ECU Joondalup / Football West |
| Kusini YENGI | Portsmouth FC, England | 8 (4) | Fulham United FC / Football SA |
