It's finally here!
With the World Cup squad trimmed down to just 30 players (with four to be cut for the final 26-man squad), it's finally time to pick and analyse our final 26-player squads for the tournament, hosted in Canada, Mexico and the US!
My only rules for this squad selection are that I can only pick players within Tony Popović's 30-player preliminary squad, which unfortunately limits many options that I would've liked to add. The official squad will be announced on 1 June, a day after our friendly match against Mexico and six days before our friendly against Switzerland.
You may have remembered my previous squad list article for the Matildas at this year's Women's Asian Cup. I've taken a step up and decided to expand with further information on key players, and will continue to do so for future squad articles.
Goalkeepers
Mathew Ryan (pictured), the Socceroos captain, has been key to saving his club, Levante, from relegation from La Liga to La Liga 2. He should be our starting goalkeeper at the World Cup. Image source: Instagram (@matyryan).
We've got four goalies currently in camp to choose from, and traditionally teams only take three for major tournaments (as three is the required number of keepers in a squad). I think it goes without saying that Levante's Maty Ryan will be first choice as the team captain with major international experience, with Randers' Paul Izzo as a backup option. For third choice, I'm picking Aston Villa loanee Joe Gauci, who spent the season on loan at Port Vale, which means Melbourne City's Pat Beach misses the squad. My reasoning for his exclusion is simply that he's had less experience and a worse season despite playing at a higher level, having made some mistakes for an underperforming City side.
Defenders
Jordan Bos (front) will be a key player for the Socceroos for many years to come. He currently plays for Eredivisie club Feyenoord Rotterdam, who finished second this season and thus qualified for the Champions League, with Jordy playing a key part in their season. Image source: Instagram (@jordanbos__).
Tony Popović likes to play a back five with two wing backs and three centre backs as we all know, so defence will be a key area if he is to continue implementing his trademark style of play (which, while able to get results, is quite unpopular with fans). At left back or left wing back we have Melbourne City's Aziz Behiç and Feyenoord’s Jordy Bos, the latter of whom will start and is regarded as one of our best players. At right back or right wing back we've got Grazer's Jacob Italiano and NYCFC's Kai Trewin.
Serie A club Parma's Alessandro Circati (pictured) will be one of the most important players for the Socceroos at this World Cup. Born in Fidenza and raised in Perth, Ale committed to the Socceroos in 2023, and has clearly shown that he deeply loves Australia. He credited Azzurri legend and Gianluigi Buffon in helping him decide. Image source: Instagram (@alessandrocircati).
Now for centre backs, we're obviously starting Parma's Ale Circati and Leicester's Harry Souttar, both two of our best players, the former being an ex-Italy youth international who's regarded as one of the best talents in the team and the latter being a Scotsman with profound international experience in the green and gold (with his brother also having experience playing for Scotland). Colorado Rapids' Lucas Herrington has also shown his immense strength as a young talent. For the others (listed purely in alphabetical order by surname), I've chosen Swansea City's Cam Burgess, APOEL Nicosia's Miloš Degenek and DC United's Kye Rowles. This means that Albirex Niigata's Jason Geria will be cut from the squad, specifically because I believe the level he plays at (the J2 League) is too low, even though I do think he can play at a somewhat higher level.
Midfielders
Jackson Irvine (pictured) captains now-2. Bundesliga side Sankt-Pauli, a club well-known for its unique fan culture. Jacko is a well-experienced player in the Socceroos setup, with 81 caps for the Roos. Image source: Instagram (@jacksonirvine_).
The trademark "Popaball" formation traditionally only includes two midfielders, both central midfielders. Obviously St. Pauli's captain Jackson Irvine, who has a plethora of international experience, should start, and I believe he should be paired with Hearts' Cam Devlin, rated one of the best players in the Scottish Premiership this season and unlucky to not win a historic title. As backups, we have Heracles' Ajdin Hrustić (who can also be played as a winger), Jacko's St. Pauli teammate Connor Metcalfe, Sydney FC's Paul Okon-Engstler and NYCFC's Aiden O'Neill. Unfortunately, one big name absent from our midfield is Middlesbrough's Riley McGree, who was injured in Boro's Championship playoff final against Hull City, and the injury was deemed severe enough to rule him out of the tournament.
Forwards
Serie A club Sassuolo's Cristian Volpato (pictured) was once believed to have rejected the Socceroos in favour of the Azzurri, turning down a call-up from Graham Arnold in 2022. Now, he's finally decided to come home and play for Australia at the 2026 World Cup. Image source: Instagram (@cristianvolpato).
For the forward line, we typically play two wingers and a centre forward. For our starting front three, I'd put Watford's wonderkid Nestory Irankunda on the left with Sassuolo's Cristian Volpato (a former Azzurinni player who as a late arrival to the training camp made the surprise switch to represent his homeland after years of supposedly rejecting the Socceroos), with our striker being Norwich's wonderkid Mo Touré. Together, this is quite an exciting front three and the Socceroos' best in years, and despite their fairly young ages are all already some of our best attackers in years.
Awer Mabil (front), now playing for La Liga 2 club Castellón, is back with the Socceroos. Could the experience Socceroo, born a South Sudanese refugee in Kenya, get one last dance in green and gold before retirement? Image source: Instagram (@awermabil10).
As backups, on the wings we have experienced Socceroos Hibernian legend Martin Boyle and Castellón's Awer Mabil, alongside newer faces in Melbourne Victory's Nish Velupillay (a polarising selection among fans) and Livingston's Machida Zelvia loanee Tete Yengi (who, unlike his injured brother Kusini Yengi, is still uncapped for the Socceroos). This means that, as expected, I've cut Western Sydney Wanderers' Brandon Borrello, as well as Melbourne City's Matt Leckie (both of whom were controversial and questionable selections to begin with).
Final squad list
Thoughts
Many Socceroos fans were puzzled as to why Max Balard wasn't at all part of Tony Popović's plans. The 25-year-old defensive midfielder plays for NAC Breda, who now play in the Eerste Divisie after being relegated from the Eredivisie. Image source: Instagram (@bsiderats.nl).
In my opinion, while it's not the worst squad that could've been picked, I do believe we made some questionable selections. Players such as QPR's Dan Bennie, Cardiff's Alex Robertson, Middlesbrough's Sam Silvera and Hibernian's Ante Šuto were sent home from the initial training camp, while players like NAC Breda's Max Balard and Dundee United's Zac Sapsford weren't called up at all. Controversially, these younger players were overlooked by older players who hadn't shown why they should continue to be picked for the national team. Additionally, poor player management in the leadup to the tournament meant we were unable to pick Minnesota United's Nektar Triantis nor Portsmouth's Adrian Segečić, who after not being played went to go and play for the countries of their heritage (Greece and Croatia, respectively), much to the annoyance of Aussie fans. In saying that, it's a positive sign that things are changing given that Sassuolo's Cristian Volpato, once considered a lost cause by many fans, has made the decision to wear the green and gold at the World Cup, and it's also good to see that previously overlooked players such as Hearts' Cam Devlin have survived far enough to be within serious reach of the final squad.
Conclusion
And that concludes my squad for the World Cup! What do you guys think? What would you change? How far would this squad go at the World Cup? Let me know in the comments!
GO SOCCEROOS!!!
With the World Cup squad trimmed down to just 30 players (with four to be cut for the final 26-man squad), it's finally time to pick and analyse our final 26-player squads for the tournament, hosted in Canada, Mexico and the US!
My only rules for this squad selection are that I can only pick players within Tony Popović's 30-player preliminary squad, which unfortunately limits many options that I would've liked to add. The official squad will be announced on 1 June, a day after our friendly match against Mexico and six days before our friendly against Switzerland.
You may have remembered my previous squad list article for the Matildas at this year's Women's Asian Cup. I've taken a step up and decided to expand with further information on key players, and will continue to do so for future squad articles.
Goalkeepers
Mathew Ryan (pictured), the Socceroos captain, has been key to saving his club, Levante, from relegation from La Liga to La Liga 2. He should be our starting goalkeeper at the World Cup. Image source: Instagram (@matyryan).
We've got four goalies currently in camp to choose from, and traditionally teams only take three for major tournaments (as three is the required number of keepers in a squad). I think it goes without saying that Levante's Maty Ryan will be first choice as the team captain with major international experience, with Randers' Paul Izzo as a backup option. For third choice, I'm picking Aston Villa loanee Joe Gauci, who spent the season on loan at Port Vale, which means Melbourne City's Pat Beach misses the squad. My reasoning for his exclusion is simply that he's had less experience and a worse season despite playing at a higher level, having made some mistakes for an underperforming City side.
Defenders
Jordan Bos (front) will be a key player for the Socceroos for many years to come. He currently plays for Eredivisie club Feyenoord Rotterdam, who finished second this season and thus qualified for the Champions League, with Jordy playing a key part in their season. Image source: Instagram (@jordanbos__).
Tony Popović likes to play a back five with two wing backs and three centre backs as we all know, so defence will be a key area if he is to continue implementing his trademark style of play (which, while able to get results, is quite unpopular with fans). At left back or left wing back we have Melbourne City's Aziz Behiç and Feyenoord’s Jordy Bos, the latter of whom will start and is regarded as one of our best players. At right back or right wing back we've got Grazer's Jacob Italiano and NYCFC's Kai Trewin.
Serie A club Parma's Alessandro Circati (pictured) will be one of the most important players for the Socceroos at this World Cup. Born in Fidenza and raised in Perth, Ale committed to the Socceroos in 2023, and has clearly shown that he deeply loves Australia. He credited Azzurri legend and Gianluigi Buffon in helping him decide. Image source: Instagram (@alessandrocircati).
Now for centre backs, we're obviously starting Parma's Ale Circati and Leicester's Harry Souttar, both two of our best players, the former being an ex-Italy youth international who's regarded as one of the best talents in the team and the latter being a Scotsman with profound international experience in the green and gold (with his brother also having experience playing for Scotland). Colorado Rapids' Lucas Herrington has also shown his immense strength as a young talent. For the others (listed purely in alphabetical order by surname), I've chosen Swansea City's Cam Burgess, APOEL Nicosia's Miloš Degenek and DC United's Kye Rowles. This means that Albirex Niigata's Jason Geria will be cut from the squad, specifically because I believe the level he plays at (the J2 League) is too low, even though I do think he can play at a somewhat higher level.
Midfielders
Jackson Irvine (pictured) captains now-2. Bundesliga side Sankt-Pauli, a club well-known for its unique fan culture. Jacko is a well-experienced player in the Socceroos setup, with 81 caps for the Roos. Image source: Instagram (@jacksonirvine_).
The trademark "Popaball" formation traditionally only includes two midfielders, both central midfielders. Obviously St. Pauli's captain Jackson Irvine, who has a plethora of international experience, should start, and I believe he should be paired with Hearts' Cam Devlin, rated one of the best players in the Scottish Premiership this season and unlucky to not win a historic title. As backups, we have Heracles' Ajdin Hrustić (who can also be played as a winger), Jacko's St. Pauli teammate Connor Metcalfe, Sydney FC's Paul Okon-Engstler and NYCFC's Aiden O'Neill. Unfortunately, one big name absent from our midfield is Middlesbrough's Riley McGree, who was injured in Boro's Championship playoff final against Hull City, and the injury was deemed severe enough to rule him out of the tournament.
Forwards
Serie A club Sassuolo's Cristian Volpato (pictured) was once believed to have rejected the Socceroos in favour of the Azzurri, turning down a call-up from Graham Arnold in 2022. Now, he's finally decided to come home and play for Australia at the 2026 World Cup. Image source: Instagram (@cristianvolpato).
For the forward line, we typically play two wingers and a centre forward. For our starting front three, I'd put Watford's wonderkid Nestory Irankunda on the left with Sassuolo's Cristian Volpato (a former Azzurinni player who as a late arrival to the training camp made the surprise switch to represent his homeland after years of supposedly rejecting the Socceroos), with our striker being Norwich's wonderkid Mo Touré. Together, this is quite an exciting front three and the Socceroos' best in years, and despite their fairly young ages are all already some of our best attackers in years.
Awer Mabil (front), now playing for La Liga 2 club Castellón, is back with the Socceroos. Could the experience Socceroo, born a South Sudanese refugee in Kenya, get one last dance in green and gold before retirement? Image source: Instagram (@awermabil10).
As backups, on the wings we have experienced Socceroos Hibernian legend Martin Boyle and Castellón's Awer Mabil, alongside newer faces in Melbourne Victory's Nish Velupillay (a polarising selection among fans) and Livingston's Machida Zelvia loanee Tete Yengi (who, unlike his injured brother Kusini Yengi, is still uncapped for the Socceroos). This means that, as expected, I've cut Western Sydney Wanderers' Brandon Borrello, as well as Melbourne City's Matt Leckie (both of whom were controversial and questionable selections to begin with).
Final squad list
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | GAUCI, Joe | Port Vale (on loan from Aston Villa) |
| Goalkeeper | IZZO, Paul | Randers FC |
| Goalkeeper | RYAN, Mathew | Levante |
| Defender | BEHIÇ, Aziz | Melbourne City |
| Defender | BOS, Jordan | Feyenoord Rotterdam |
| Defender | BURGESS, Cameron | Swansea City |
| Defender | CIRCATI, Alessandro | Parma |
| Defender | DEGENEK, Miloš | APOEL Nicosia |
| Defender | HERRINGTON, Lucas | Colorado Rapids |
| Defender | ITALIANO, Jacob | Grazer AK |
| Defender | SOUTTAR, Harry | Leicester City |
| Defender | ROWLES, Kye | DC United |
| Defender | TREWIN, Kai | New York City FC |
| Midfielder | DEVLIN, Cameron | Heart of Midlothian |
| Midfielder | HRUSTIĆ, Ajdin | Heracles Almelo |
| Midfielder | IRVINE, Jackson | Sankt-Pauli |
| Midfielder | METCALFE, Connor | Sankt-Pauli |
| Midfielder | OKON-ENGSTLER, Paul | Sydney FC |
| Midfielder | O'NEILL, Aiden | New York City FC |
| Forward | BOYLE, Martin | Hibernian |
| Forward | IRANKUNDA, Nestory | Watford |
| Forward | MABIL, Awer | Castellón |
| Forward | TOURÉ, Mohamed | Norwich City |
| Forward | VELUPILLAY, Nishan | Melbourne Victory |
| Forward | VOLPATO, Cristian | Sassuolo |
| Forward | YENGI, Tete | Machida Zelvia (on loan from Livingston) |
Thoughts
Many Socceroos fans were puzzled as to why Max Balard wasn't at all part of Tony Popović's plans. The 25-year-old defensive midfielder plays for NAC Breda, who now play in the Eerste Divisie after being relegated from the Eredivisie. Image source: Instagram (@bsiderats.nl).
In my opinion, while it's not the worst squad that could've been picked, I do believe we made some questionable selections. Players such as QPR's Dan Bennie, Cardiff's Alex Robertson, Middlesbrough's Sam Silvera and Hibernian's Ante Šuto were sent home from the initial training camp, while players like NAC Breda's Max Balard and Dundee United's Zac Sapsford weren't called up at all. Controversially, these younger players were overlooked by older players who hadn't shown why they should continue to be picked for the national team. Additionally, poor player management in the leadup to the tournament meant we were unable to pick Minnesota United's Nektar Triantis nor Portsmouth's Adrian Segečić, who after not being played went to go and play for the countries of their heritage (Greece and Croatia, respectively), much to the annoyance of Aussie fans. In saying that, it's a positive sign that things are changing given that Sassuolo's Cristian Volpato, once considered a lost cause by many fans, has made the decision to wear the green and gold at the World Cup, and it's also good to see that previously overlooked players such as Hearts' Cam Devlin have survived far enough to be within serious reach of the final squad.
Conclusion
And that concludes my squad for the World Cup! What do you guys think? What would you change? How far would this squad go at the World Cup? Let me know in the comments!
GO SOCCEROOS!!!
