FIFA has released its ticket pricing for the 2026 tournament in the United States, to a galled global reception from fan groups.

After a few nomadic years in Europe the wonder kid has ‘remembered what he is all about’, giving hope he may yet reach his immense potential But for Emiliano Martínez’s outstretched arms, eh? A golden chance, deep in injury-time, for Australia’s wonder kid to become their golden boy, to push Argentina into an extra 30 minutes in the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup. “Liked what you saw there? You just wait ‘til 2026,” the Guardian wrote of Garang Kuol 1,104 days ago. He had, aged 18 years and 79 days, become the youngest player to appear in the knock-out stages since Pelé in 1958. Continue reading...

Socceroos coach Tony Popovic was an hour late for his virtual media conference, thanks to Donald Trump.

Our cartoonist reflects on Tony Popovic’s team’s recent friendlies against Venezuela and Colombia Continue reading...

Unlocking Australia’s attack should be Tony Popovic’s main priority with the World Cup coming into sharp focus and scrutiny on his team increasing Very rarely in international football is one afforded a painless path forward. In a world governed by limited time and communication with squads, rapid turnarounds, extensive travel, and a talent pool ending at your nation’s borders, it’s not about doing things perfectly but instead finding a way to go close. For Tony Popovic, one of these crossroads moments arrived after the Socceroos punched their tickets for the World Cup back in June, when the stress of chasing qualification was replaced with ensuring Australia’s men were put in the best position to succeed at the tournament proper. With four windows – eight games – between qualification and the announcement of his 26-man World Cup squad, would he zero in on his preferred unit as soon as possible, seeking to build cohesion and momentum? Or would he cast the net as wide as possible, examining the talent out there and seeing who might emerge as a genuine World Cup chance? In the end, he went with the latter and was duly rewarded with the likes of Paul Izzo, Nestory Irankunda, Mo Touré, Max Balard, Jacob Italiano and more, all emerging as genuine contributors at this level. “We may lose a little bit of balance, or maybe relationships on the park … the key is that come June, that we’re ready,” he said earlier this week. Continue reading...

Colombia captain James Rodriguez beats Socceroos goalkeeper Paul Izzo from the penalty spot.SEO: Colombia vs Socceroos 2025 highlights, James Rodriguez penalty video

Socceroos midfielder Riley McGree forces a sharp save from Colombia's goalkeeper from a free kick.

Updates as the Socceroos face Los Cafeteros at Citi Field Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email Unsurprisingly the support in Queens is overwhelming in favour of Colombia. Roughly 150,000 residents of the New York borough hail from the South American nation. The two sides make their way out onto the diamond, each group of players wearing 90s retro neon piped anthem jackets. They both line up in a very skew-whiff arrangement, in keeping with the odd dimensions of the playing arena. Continue reading...

Iraq players crash Graham Arnold's presser after a dramatic 2-1 home win over the United Arab Emirates.

A 4-2 victory over Denmark has secured Scotland’s first World Cup appearance since 1998, while Graham Arnold’s Iraq is a step closer to their first World Cup in decades.

Tony Popovic admits the chance to face Colombia and Luis Diaz will be a great test for his Socceroos side leading into the World Cup.

A callow Australia side confirmed in defeat by Venezuela that the head coach needs his big hitters back before facing Colombia in New York A day before Australian football looked to its past, Tony Popovic sent out a side to face Venezuela focused on its future. Nineteen years and 364 days ago, the Golden Generation defender had been part of the side that defeated Uruguay in a shootout to end 32 years of heartbreak and send the Socceroos back to the promised land. Two decades on, here he was in the dugout of Shell Energy Stadium, tinkering and experimenting before a sixth-straight World Cup for Australia. Popovic had named an XI with three debutants – the most in 12 years – and a player in Nestory Irankunda that hadn’t been born when John Alosi scored that famous penalty. Continue reading...

Australia lose 1-0 to La Vinotinto as Jesús Ramírez scores in 38th minute Debutant goalkeeper Patrick Beach impresses in friendly in Houston Houston, do we have a problem? After starting the Tony Popovic-era with an 11-game unbeaten run, an experimental Socceroos lineup fell to their second-straight defeat, going down 1-0 to Venezuela at Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium. While there was a certain level of fight to their 2-1 loss to the United States last month, this was a much more passive, flatter defeat. Just 20 minutes in, the 50th-ranked Venezuela had three-quarters of possession, which only fell to 66% at game’s end. It was a sharp contrast between the approach of interim boss Fernando Aristeguieta and his predecessor Fernando Batista, who was sacked after they failed to qualify for the World Cup with an average possession rate of just 39% during the qualification campaign. Continue reading...

Milos Degenek talks about the Socceroos' qualification for the 2006 World Cup.