The next time we see the Socceroos play, they’ll be in the United States, taking on co-hosts Mexico at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles – and World Cup fever will be in the air.
The players have now dispersed to their clubs after the FIFA Series victories over Cameroon (1-0) and Curacao (5-1) – and they won’t gather again until their club seasons are over.
It’s been 15 months since Popovic took over from Graham Arnold, at a point when direct World Cup qualification was in serious peril. Since then, he’s steered the team back on track, delivered Australia’s first win over Japan since 2009, and sealed our sixth consecutive World Cup appearance.
It hasn’t always been pretty, but it’s been effective.
Popovic will not unveil his final 26-man squad for the World Cup until June 1, two days after their final warm-up clash against Mexico. But a fairly clear picture is emerging of who’s definitely in the final squad, and who’s battling it out for the last few spots.
The following is our read of the lay of the land, with a few major caveats: one, that even one injury could throw these plans out of whack; two, that a lot depends on how Popovic carves up the split between defenders, midfielders and forwards; and three, recent history shows that he is always liable to throw a curveball nobody saw coming.
Goalkeeper
On the plane: Maty Ryan, Paul Izzo
In the mix: Patrick Beach, Joe Gauci
It’s pretty simple: Ryan, Australia’s captain, starts every game at the World Cup. Unlike in 2022, he’s playing regularly for his club, Levante, and it’s possibly a good thing that they’re second-bottom of La Liga, because that means he’s seeing a lot of work. Izzo is the clear number two, so the only question here is who goes as the third goalkeeper. It looks like a battle between Melbourne City’s Beach and Gauci, who is on loan at League One battlers Port Vale from Aston Villa. The former has his nose in front.
Central defenders
On the plane: Alessandro Circati, Cameron Burgess
In the mix: Milos Degenek, Jason Geria, Lucas Herrington, Kai Trewin, Kye Rowles
Outside chance: Harry Souttar
Circati and Burgess are nailed on to start, but the spot on the right of the back three is up for grabs. Herrington, 18, was impressive on debut against Cameroon but showed vulnerabilities against Curacao that could be exposed on the World Cup stage. If Popovic takes only six centre-backs – so that he has a second player for every position – there might not be guaranteed room for both Degenek, a loyal servant for the Socceroos, and Geria, a trusted Popovic favourite. As a left-footer, Rowles′ inclusion makes sense, and he was terrific at the last World Cup, but only got a run in the FIFA Series because injury opened a spot up for him. Then there’s his former defensive partner Souttar, who is yet to play since suffering an Achilles injury in December 2024, and will need to build up a solid run of form for Leicester City to be considered – but as per Qatar, he can absolutely perform at a high level with even the barest of preparation. Trewin’s advantage is his versatility; he can also play in midfield and at right wing-back, which will make it hard to leave him out. But someone’s probably going to have their heart broken.
Right wing-back
On the plane: Jacob Italiano
In the mix: Fran Karacic
Outside chance: Sam Silvera
With Popovic’s previous first choice Lewis Miller out for the season with injury, the sudden emergence of Italiano at the end of last year was, in retrospect, a godsend. From an injury replacement call-up in October, he’s almost certain to start at the World Cup. Italiano has barely put a foot wrong in his three appearances for the Socceroos, and his recent form for his club in Austria, Grazer AK, has shown he has a goalscoring streak about him, too. Beyond him, Australia’s depth is limited, which is why Popovic played Trewin there against Curacao – and he did well. Poor Karacic has missed the last three windows due to injury, but is a natural right-sided defender who Popovic rates highly. Silvera has been playing on the left for Middlesbrough, so he could pinch-hit here, but hasn’t been seeing many minutes lately – and didn’t nail his last Socceroos audition.
Left wing-back
On the plane: Jordan Bos, Aziz Behich
In the mix: Callum Elder
The most settled part of the team. Bos is arguably Australia’s best player, and he’s getting better with every game he plays at Feyenoord – and the evergreen Behich is not only a good, experienced head to have in the dressing room, but also a more-than-reliable alternative, who Popovic might even choose to start if he wants to set up more defensively, or wants to hold Bos’ physical dynamism in reserve as a substitute. Elder is the next best option, but he only goes if one of these two gets injured. Touch wood.
Central midfield
On the plane: Jackson Irvine, Aiden O’Neill
In the mix: Patrick Yazbek, Paul Okon-Engstler, Max Balard, Alex Robertson
Outside chance: Cammy Devlin, Dylan Scicluna
Irvine is managing a foot injury that Popovic initially feared would keep him out of the World Cup; whatever he’s doing seems to be working, though, as he continues to play regular Bundesliga football for FC St. Pauli. The only reason he was left out of the FIFA Series squad was to not disrupt his fitness, given the delicate nature of his situation. So assuming he stays fit, who starts next to him? O’Neill and Yazbek, who both play in Major League Soccer, would appear to be the most likely candidates – but Okon-Engstler’s passing range and youthful energy has clearly impressed the coaching staff, and he may have overtaken Robertson, who only got a small taste off the bench against Curacao in his return to the national team set-up, in the pecking order. Balard, for whatever reason, has fallen out of Popovic’s favour, while he has called up Devlin numerous times but never actually played him, so it’s hard to imagine he’ll be considered. The wildcard is Scicluna, one of the A-League’s standout midfielders and a rare consistent contributor for the Western Sydney Wanderers this season; he’s reportedly switching his allegiance from Malta back to Australia, but is it realistic that he will debut at, or just before, the World Cup?
Attacking midfield
On the plane: Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Nestory Irankunda, Ajdin Hrustic
In the mix: Nishan Velupillay, Martin Boyle, Awer Mabil
Call this position whatever you want – attacking midfield, inverted winger, No.10, but they’re crucial to how Popovic sets up. McGree is surely one of the first names on the Australian team sheet, and could be bound for the Premier League next season as Middlesbrough closes in on automatic promotion. Hrustic, who can also play in a deeper role, can frustrate but offers something different to the other options. Popovic is a big Metcalfe fan, and while he was scratchy in his trial run in central midfield, he is a dependable attacking option. With Irankunda, the only question mark is if he starts or is used from the bench as a so-called ‘game-changer’. At minimum, Popovic may only need one other in his squad, depending on the make-up of the rest of it; Velupillay, despite his patchy form for Melbourne Victory, is yet to let the Socceroos down, which could herald bad news for veteran Boyle and/or Mabil, the surprise recall in March.
Striker
On the plane: Mohamed Toure
In the mix: Deni Juric
Outside chance: Ante Suto, Mitch Duke, Nick D’Agostino
Toure missed this window with a groin injury, which interrupted his good start at Norwich City. But he’s got time to get fit, and if he does, he’s Australia’s best striker – and his combination with Irankunda holds so much attacking promise. We know that Irankunda can fill in at a pitch up front, but Popovic will want an alternative profile up front to give the Socceroos a different look. Trouble is, nobody has put forward a super compelling case. Juric is probably the clubhouse leader, but he didn’t quite do enough in the FIFA Series to confirm his selection; Suto, meanwhile, didn’t play at all, which doesn’t bode particularly well for his chances. It’s probably too late for D’Agostino, whose return to Brisbane Roar has been wrecked by injury. Could Duke, the old war horse, sneak in? More performances like his double for Macarthur FC on Thursday night will help his cause. Or is Popovic planning to surprise us all by naming someone else?
PROJECTED 26-MAN SOCCEROOS WORLD CUP SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Maty Ryan, Paul Izzo, Patrick Beach
Defenders: Alessandro Circati, Cameron Burgess, Milos Degenek, Lucas Herrington, Kye Rowles, Jason Geria, Kai Trewin, Jordan Bos, Aziz Behich, Jacob Italiano
Midfielders: Jackson Irvine, Aiden O’Neill, Patrick Yazbek, Paul Okon-Engstler, Alex Robertson, Riley McGree, Ajdin Hrustic, Connor Metcalfe
Forwards: Mohamed Toure, Nestory Irankunda, Nishan Velupillay, Mitchell Duke, Martin Boyle
