Revealed: The blunt warning for A-League stars from Socceroos coach Tony Popovic ahead of the World Cup

Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has issued a blunt warning to A-League stars – just because your season has started, don’t assume you will be in the mix for November’s international matches against Venezuela and Colombia.

With the 2026 World Cup starting next June, Popovic is looking to gather squad momentum – and fast.

It means players such as Anthony Caceres (Macarthur FC), Brandon Borrello (Western Sydney Wanderers), Aziz Behich (Melbourne City) and Craig Goodwin (Adelaide United) face a nervous wait before Popovic names his next squad.

‘The A-League hadn’t started for the first (international) two windows in September and October,’ the Socceroos boss told reporters.

‘That’s unfortunate for (those players).

‘We are watching to see if someone, where we can see their potential, then we can (continue to) track them… and they could be a surprise for the World Cup.’

That will be music to the ears of young guns Alex Badolato (Newcastle Jets) and Max Caputo (Melbourne City), who have caught the eye this season.

Badolato’s hat-trick against Melbourne Victory sees him the current top goal-scorer in the A-League, with the 20-year-old finding the back of the net four times in just two appearances. 

Caputo has bagged three goals himself – and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by Popovic. 

‘They’ve done well. I saw them both play at the (Under-20) World Cup, so to see them, from that experience, come back to the A-League, just continue on and really help their clubs and put in very good individual performances, that’s encouraging,’ Popovic said.

‘They’re two talented young players that hopefully can keep playing. 

‘They have to be consistent, and they have to do it over and over again (to be considered) for the Socceroos.’

Popovic also stressed being overlooked for World Cup selection shouldn’t be viewed as a major setback, pointing to future tournaments such as the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

‘If there are players that miss out, but we see that they’re on the right track, there’s an Asian Cup coming up…and obviously another (World Cup) campaign,’ he said.

‘We feel we will get a lot out of these games (against Venezuela and Colombia) in terms of learning more about existing players and hopefully more about new players that come into our environment.

‘We are building depth. We want to create competition. They all need to contribute.’