2024 Australia national soccer team season
| Season | 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Graham Arnold (until 20 September) Tony Popovic (from 23 September) | ||
| Captain | Mathew Ryan | ||
| Top goalscorer | Craig Goodwin (5) | ||
| Most caps | Jackson Irvine (14) | ||
| Players | 44 | ||
| Goalscorers | 15 | ||
| Debutants | 8 | ||
| Biggest home win | Australia 5–0 Palestine (11 June) | ||
| Biggest away win | Lebanon 0–5 Australia (26 March) | ||
| Highest scoring | Lebanon 0–5 Australia (26 March) Australia 5–0 Palestine (11 June) | ||
| Longest winning run | 4 (21 March – 11 June) | ||
| Longest unbeaten run | 5 (6–28 January) | ||
| Longest winless run | 2 (5–10 September) | ||
| Longest losing run | 1 (2 February, 5 September) | ||
| Highest attendance | 46,291 Australia 3–1 China (5 September) | ||
| Lowest attendance | 18,261 Australia 5–0 Palestine (11 June) | ||
| Average attendance | 29,056 | ||
| |||
← 2023 | |||
This page summarises the Australia men's national soccer team fixtures and results in 2024.
Summary
[edit]Australia started the year with a friendly against Bahrain in Abu Dhabi in preparation ahead of the 2023 Asian Cup taking place in Qatar.[1] Australia won the match 2–0 thanks to an own goal by Amine Binaddi and a goal by Mitchell Duke. Welsh youth international Gethin Jones made his debut for Australia, having been born in Perth.[2]
Australia opened their Asian Cup campaign against India, beating them 2–0 with Jackson Irvine scoring first and later Jordan Bos being subbed on and scoring his first international goal.[3] In the second match they beat Syria 1–0 thanks to another goal by Irvine, guaranteeing advancement to the knockout stage.[4] In the final game, Australia drew with Uzbekistan 1–1 to finish top of their group. Martin Boyle gave them the lead after converting a controversial penalty kick at the end of the first half and Azizbek Turgunboev equalised for Uzbekistan in the second half.[5] As the top team of group B, Australia were set to face one of the third-placed teams, with their identity only being confirmed at the end of the last group stage matches, as Oman were eliminated from the tournament and Indonesia took the spot in the round of 16 match against Australia.[6] While it seemed Australia would scrape through their first knockout match, they ended up beating Indonesia 4–0 to book a quarter-final spot with the first goal scored following a shot by Irvine being deflected off Elkan Baggott into goal and awarded as an own goal. The first half ended with Boyle scoring the second goal with a header. In the second half, Craig Goodwin and Harry Souttar added a goal each to set the final score.[7] A couple of days later, their quarter-final opponent was confirmed when South Korea beat Saudi Arabia in a penalty shoot-out after equalising in second-half stoppage time.[8] Australia lost the quarter-final match to South Korea 1–2. Despite leading for most of the match following Goodwin's first-half goal, South Korea equalised in a second consecutive match during the second-half stoppage time, with Hwang Hee-chan scoring a penalty kick. In extra time, their captain Son Heung-min scored a free kick to give South Korea the victory.[9]
Having won the first two of their 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the previous year, Australia resumed the campaign, hosting Lebanon at CommBank Stadium.[10] Australia won the match 2–0 with Keanu Baccus and Kye Rowles scoring their first international goals.[11] German-based John Iredale made his debut for the senior international side, coming on as a substitute in place of Duke.[12] The away leg against Lebanon was played in Canberra, following AFC approval, due to the Israel–Hamas war.[13] Australia won the match 5–0 thanks to a brace by Goodwin, an own goal by Bassel Jradi, and maiden international goals for Kusini Yengi and Iredale. Two youngsters, Patrick Yazbek and Josh Nisbet, made their international debut.[14]
In June, coach Graham Arnold selected a squad for the last two qualifiers of the group. After not playing for the Australia's senior squad and not being selected for the past few underage squads, Nestory Irankunda mentioned in a press conference that he's considering representing Tanzania or Burundi.[15] Following this he was selected for the squad, though sources at Football Australia claimed he was chosen before his announcement.[16] The away leg against Bangladesh was played at Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka. Australia won the match 2–0 thanks to goals by Ajdin Hrustic and Yengi.[17] Irankunda made his senior international debut in the match and assisted the first goal.[18] In their last qualifying match of the group, Australia beat Palestine 5–0 to record a perfect 6 wins out of 6 games and top the group. In the match, Yengi scored a brace and Adam Taggart, Boyle, and Irankunda scored a goal each with the latter's goal being his first senior international goal.[19]
The third round of qualification for the 2026 World Cup started in September with a home match against Bahrain on the Gold Coast, which Australia lost 1–0 due to an own goal by Souttar after Yengi was sent-off with a red card in the 77th minute.[20] Five days later, they travelled to Jakarta, where they were held to a scoreless draw by Indonesia.[21] Following these two matches, Arnold decided to step down from the head coach role, claiming it was "time for a change."[22] A few days later, Football Australia announced Tony Popovic as the new head coach.[23]
Popovic's tenure seemed to be getting off to a bad start when Australia hosted China and Xie Wenneng gave the visitors the lead. However, Australia rallied with Lewis Miller scoring his first goal just before the half-time break. In the second half, Goodwin gave Australia the lead and Nishan Velupillay scored on his international debut to seal the scoreline 3–1.[24] In the second game, played in Saitama, Australia managed to draw 1–1 with Japan with Shogo Taniguchi's own goal being the first they conceded in nine matches. Unfortunately an own goal by Cameron Burgess levelled the scores. In the game, Luke Brattan made his first senior international appearance, making him the oldest debutant for the Socceroos.[25]
Record
[edit]- As of match played 15 October 2024
| Type | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Asian Cup | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 |
| World Cup qualifiers | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 3 |
| Total | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 6 |
Match results
[edit]Friendlies
[edit]| 6 January | Bahrain  | 0–2 |  Australia | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| 18:00 UTC+4 | Report | Stadium: Baniyas Stadium Referee: Mohamed Al-Harmoodi (United Arab Emirates) |
Asian Cup
[edit]| 13 January Group stage | Australia | 2–0 |  India | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| 14:30 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Attendance: 35,253 Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) |
| 18 January Group stage | Syria  | 0–1 | Australia | Doha, Qatar |
| 14:30 UTC+3 | Report |
|
Stadium: Jassim bin Hamad Stadium Attendance: 10,097 Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates) |
| 22 January Group stage | Australia | 1–1 |  Uzbekistan | Doha, Qatar |
| 14:30 UTC+3 | Report |
|
Stadium: Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium Attendance: 15,290 Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan) |
| 28 January Round of 16 | Australia | 4–0 |  Indonesia | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| 14:30 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium: Jassim bin Hamad Stadium Attendance: 7,863 Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates) |
| 2 February Quarter-finals | Australia | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |  South Korea | Doha, Qatar |
| 18:30 UTC+3 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium Attendance: 39,632 Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman) |
World Cup qualifiers
[edit]| 21 March Second round | Australia | 2–0 |  Lebanon | Sydney, Australia |
| 20:10 UTC+11 | Report | Stadium: CommBank Stadium Attendance: 27,026 Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar) |
| 26 March Second round | Lebanon | 0–5 | Australia | Canberra, Australia[a] |
| 19:45 UTC+11 | Report | Stadium: Canberra Stadium Attendance: 25,023 Referee: Mooud Bonyadifard (Iran) |
| 6 June Second round | Bangladesh  | 0–2 | Australia | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| 16:45 UTC+6 | Report | Stadium: Bashundhara Kings Arena Attendance: 5,227 Referee: Jansen Foo (Singapore) |
| 11 June Second round | Australia | 5–0 |  Palestine | Perth, Australia |
| 20:05 UTC+8 | Report | Stadium: HBF Park Attendance: 18,261 Referee: Khalid Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia) |
| 5 September Third round | Australia | 0–1 | Bahrain | Gold Coast, Australia |
| 20:00 UTC+10 | Report | Stadium: Robina Stadium Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates) |
| 10 September Third round | Indonesia | 0–0 | Australia | Jakarta, Indonesia |
| 19:00 UTC+7 | Report | Stadium: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium Attendance: 70,059 Referee: Salman Ahmad Falahi (Qatar) |
| 10 October Third round | Australia | 3–1 |  China | Adelaide, Australia |
| 19:40 UTC+10:30 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Adelaide Oval Attendance: 46,291 Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia) |
| 15 October Third round | Japan  | 1–1 | Australia | Saitama, Japan |
| 19:35 UTC+9 | Report | Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002 Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Kuwait) |
| 14 November Third round | Australia | v |  Saudi Arabia | Melbourne, Australia |
| Source | Stadium: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium |
| 19 November Third round | Bahrain | v | Australia | Riffa, Bahrain |
| TBA UTC+3 | Source | Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium |
Player statistics
[edit]Correct as of 15 October 2024 (v. Japan).
Numbers are listed by player's number in last match played
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Friendlies | Asian Cup | World Cup qualifiers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK | AUS
|
Mathew Ryan | 9 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 5+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 |
| 12 | GK | AUS
|
Paul Izzo | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 12 | GK | AUS
|
Lawrence Thomas | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 12 | GK | AUS
|
Tom Glover | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 18 | GK | AUS
|
Joe Gauci | 5 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | AUS
|
Thomas Deng | 2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | AUS
|
Gethin Jones | 6 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | AUS
|
Nathaniel Atkinson | 5 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | AUS
|
Ryan Strain | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | AUS
|
Lewis Miller | 4 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 |
| 4 | DF | AUS
|
Kye Rowles | 11 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 5+1 | 1 |
| 5 | DF | AUS
|
Jordan Bos | 11 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+2 | 1 | 2+3 | 0 |
| 8 | DF | AUS
|
Jason Geria | 2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | AUS
|
Alessandro Circati | 3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | AUS
|
Aziz Behich | 12 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 5+0 | 0 | 4+2 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | AUS
|
Joel King | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | AUS
|
Harry Souttar | 13 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 5+0 | 1 | 7+0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | AUS
|
Cameron Burgess | 8 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 5+0 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | AUS
|
Patrick Yazbek | 2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | AUS
|
Connor Metcalfe | 11 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | AUS
|
Ajdin Hrustic | 5 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 3+2 | 1 |
| 11 | MF | AUS
|
Josh Nisbet | 3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | AUS
|
Aiden O'Neill | 8 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+4 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | AUS
|
Riley McGree | 9 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | AUS
|
Cameron Devlin | 2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | AUS
|
Keanu Baccus | 9 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 3+1 | 1 |
| 20 | MF | AUS
|
Luke Brattan | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | AUS
|
Jackson Irvine | 14 | 2 | 1+0 | 0 | 5+0 | 2 | 8+0 | 0 |
| 4 | FW | AUS
|
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 6 | FW | AUS
|
Martin Boyle | 7 | 3 | 0+0 | 0 | 5+0 | 2 | 2+0 | 1 |
| 7 | FW | AUS
|
Samuel Silvera | 5 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | AUS
|
Mathew Leckie | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | AUS
|
Nishan Velupillay | 2 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+2 | 1 |
| 8 | FW | AUS
|
John Iredale | 2 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+2 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | AUS
|
Bruno Fornaroli | 5 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+4 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | AUS
|
Adam Taggart | 4 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+2 | 1 |
| 10 | FW | AUS
|
Awer Mabil | 2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | AUS
|
Kusini Yengi | 8 | 4 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 5+0 | 4 |
| 11 | FW | AUS
|
Marco Tilio | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | AUS
|
Nestory Irankunda | 5 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 3+2 | 1 |
| 15 | FW | AUS
|
Mitchell Duke | 12 | 1 | 1+0 | 1 | 3+1 | 0 | 5+2 | 0 |
| 16 | FW | AUS
|
Brandon Borrello | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | AUS
|
Daniel Arzani | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | AUS
|
Craig Goodwin | 9 | 5 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 2 | 4+1 | 3 |
- Source: [citation needed]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Lebanon will play this home match in Australia, following AFC approval, due to the ongoing Israel–Hamas war.[26]
References
[edit]- ^ "Bahrain Set Up Australia Friendly". News of Bahrain. 19 September 2023.
- ^ Harrington, Anna (6 January 2024). "Socceroos beat Bahrain in final match before Asian Cup". The Canberra Times.
- ^ Lynch, Joey (13 January 2024). "Irvine and Bos fire Australia to victory against India in Asian Cup opener". The Guardian.
- ^ Lynch, Joey (18 January 2024). "Australia into last 16 of Asian Cup after Jackson Irvine goal edges Syria". The Guardian.
- ^ Lynch, Joey (23 January 2024). "Australia pegged back by Uzbekistan but finish top of Asian Cup group". The Guardian.
- ^ Harrington, Anna (26 January 2024). "Socceroos to face Indonesia in Asian Cup round-of-16". Australian Associated Press.
- ^ Adno, Carly (28 January 2024). "Australia ease to win against Indonesia to reach Asian Cup quarter-finals". The Guardian.
- ^ Lynch, Joey (30 January 2024). "In dramatic fashion, South Korea are somehow still alive in the Asian Cup". ESPN.
- ^ Farrer, Martin (2 February 2024). "More Asian Cup heartbreak for Australia as Son Heung-min fires extra-time winner". The Guardian.
- ^ "Subway Socceroos to Face Lebanon at CommBank Stadium in FIFA World Cup 2026™ Qualifier". CommBank Stadium. 6 December 2023.
- ^ Lynch, Joey (21 March 2024). "Socceroos' chaotic win over Lebanon marred by injuries". The Guardian.
- ^ "Socceroos beat Lebanon 2-0 in AFC World Cup qualifier at Western Sydney Stadium". ABC News. 21 March 2024.
Arnold threw on Mitch Duke and handed a debut to German-based striker John Iredale to see out the second half.
- ^ "Subway Socceroos to play second World Cup Qualifier in Canberra". Football Australia. 1 March 2024.
- ^ Rayson, Zac (26 March 2024). "Star's masterclass sends five-star Aussies into next stage of WC qualis despite another injury blow". Fox Sports.
- ^ Harrington, Anna (24 May 2024). "Irankunda wants Roos call-up but won't rule out switch". FTBL.
- ^ Garb, Daniel (28 May 2024). "Nestory Irankunda, Daniel Arzani to be included in Socceroos squad for next World Cup qualifiers". ABC News.
- ^ Lynch, Joey (6 June 2024). "Socceroos overcome Bangladesh and 'dangerous' pitch to earn World Cup qualifying win". The Guardian.
- ^ Monteverde, Marco (6 June 2024). "Teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda starts for Australia in win over Bangladesh". news.com.au.
- ^ Monteverde, Marco (12 June 2024). "Teen sensation scores first Socceroos goal as Aussies thrash minnows". Fox Sports.
- ^ Smith, Ben (5 September 2024). "AFC Asian Qualifier: Australia fall to 1-0 defeat to Bahrain on the Gold Coast after Harry Souttar own-goal". The West Australian.
- ^ "Socceroos held to goalless draw with Indonesia in hefty blow to World Cup hopes". The Guardian. 10 September 2024.
- ^ "Graham Arnold resigns as Socceroos coach ahead of next World Cup qualifiers". The Guardian. 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Tony Popovic named head coach of Socceroos ahead of FIFA World Cup qualifiers". ABC News. 23 September 2024.
- ^ Williams, Paul (10 October 2024). "Australia's World Cup campaign back on track after 3-1 win over China". The Guardian.
- ^ Rugari, Vince (16 October 2024). "Socceroos park the bus – eventually – to snatch a priceless point against Japan". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Subway Socceroos to play second World Cup Qualifier in Canberra". Football Australia. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.