2026 World Cup Squad

[Quicky]

Let's see if I can make a 26 man squad. I'll highlight my choices in bold. I'll go one extra CM, one extra inside forward and 1 extra striker. I'll also put a player in brackets in the (unforuntely) highly likely event Volpato doesn't play

GKs

Locks: Ryan, Izzo
Not locked: Gauci vs Beach

Cbs

Locks: Souttar, Degenek, Circati, Burgess
Not Locked: Matthews, Geria, Herrington, Rowles

Rwbs:

Locks: None
Not Locked: Miller, Italiano, Overy, Silvera, Strain

Lwbs:

Locks: Jordy Bos
Not Locked: Behich, Elder, Silvera, Italiano

CMs:

Locked: Irvine, O'Niell
Not locked: Yazbek, Teague, Robbo, Balard

Inside forwards

Locks: Metcalf, Irankunda, Volpato, Mcgree
Not locked: (Segecic), Vellupilay, Goodwin, Chipperfield, Leckie, Arzani

Strikers
Locks: Mo Toure
Not Locked: Sapsford, Duke, Musa Toure, A Toure, Borello, K Yengi, T Yengi, Caputo, Jovanovic
Not Locked: Yengi, Duke,

The players who have been capped or made squads under Poppa you haven't included are listed below. Caps in brackets. Asterix for injury concerns.

GK:
[ ] Glover

RWB:
[ ] Karacic (2), R. Grant

CB:
[ ] Deng (1), Trewin, A. Grant, Ja Iredale

LWB:
[ ] Davidson

CM:
[ ] Baccus (2)*, Brattan (1), Caceres (4), Kalik, Devlin*, Okon-Engstler

WF: Hrustic (6), Tilio (1), Milanovic (1)

CF:
[ ] Stamatelopoulos, Taggart (1), Botic*, D. Juric*

There are the sketchy prospects of our dual nationals:
[ ] Volpato, Arena, Chipperfield

I reckon from your list Rowles is a cert.

At CM or inside forward you didn't have Hrustic and it won't be popular but he's near a cert. Nisbet still not being considered. Devlin should make the squad if his injury hasn't ruled him out?

I reckon doors still slightly open for Karacic, Trewin and Baccus.

Stamatelopolous has 6 goals and bunch of assists as one of our better performed o/s strikers, even being on the outer, and probably deserves more thought from people.

 

[grazorblade]

The players who have been capped or made squads under Poppa you haven't included are listed below. Caps in brackets. Asterix for injury concerns.

GK:
[ ] Glover

RWB:
[ ] Karacic (2), R. Grant

CB:
[ ] Deng (1), Trewin, A. Grant, Ja Iredale

LWB:
[ ] Davidson

CM:
[ ] Baccus (2)*, Brattan (1), Caceres (4), Kalik, Devlin*, Okon-Engstler

WF: Hrustic (6), Tilio (1), Milanovic (1)

CF:
[ ] Stamatelopoulos, Taggart (1), Botic*, D. Juric*

There are the sketchy prospects of our dual nationals:
[ ] Volpato, Arena, Chipperfield

I reckon from your list Rowles is a cert.

At CM or inside forward you didn't have Hrustic and it won't be popular but he's near a cert. Nisbet still not being considered. Devlin should make the squad if his injury hasn't ruled him out?

I reckon doors still slightly open for Karacic, Trewin and Baccus.

Stamatelopolous has 6 goals and bunch of assists as one of our better performed o/s strikers, even being on the outer, and probably deserves more thought from people.

Stama, Devlin and Hrustic are a good shout

hard to keep track of all the options at the moment!

Okon is a smokey too though had a rare off game

 

[patjennings]

Stama, Devlin and Hrustic are a good shout

hard to keep track of all the options at the moment!

Okon is a smokey too though had a rare off game

Stama and Devlin - good options - Hrustic plays like a luxury player - but isn't one.

Okon after the Asian Cup - his time is 2030.

 

[JS96]

We need to avoid the Juric or Hrustic cases of being selected while being injured at a world cup. Mabil was also a bit lazy against Tunisia which surprised me. We have the depth and hunger so if Duke has an issue, Stama needs to be ahead if he's 100%.

 

[patjennings]

After the Asian cup - or possibly before for some these likely 2026 squad members will be phased out. i.e they are only around for 12 more months before at most before we should be looking at 2030.

Ryan, Izzo, Burgess, Goodwin, Irvine & Duke

 

[JS96]

After the Asian cup - or possibly before for some these likely 2026 squad members will be phased out. i.e they are only around for 12 more months before at most before we should be looking at 2030.

Ryan, Izzo, Burgess, Goodwin, Irvine & Duke

2030 at absolute most. They'll be handy veterans in the cycle. Leckie is one who didn't retire by not being selected and I wish more players would still accept a call up but some just want to focus on their club to round out their career.

 

[Quicky]

Stama and Devlin - good options - Hrustic plays like a luxury player - but isn't one.

Okon after the Asian Cup - his time is 2030.

Hrustic has an ability to pass a ball and hit a strike that we don't have much of in midfield. He has 3 goals and 7 assists in the Eredivisie. But he is so lacksadaisical on the pitch defensively. It actually surprises me how much Popovic has played him given he's almost the antithesis of the kinds of players he usually favours in his system.

 

[patjennings]

2030 at absolute most. They'll be handy veterans in the cycle. Leckie is one who didn't retire by not being selected and I wish more players would still accept a call up but some just want to focus on their club to round out their career.

I meant i expect them all to go by February 2027. The only real concern I have is I'm not sold on the keepers yet for 2030.

But this could be the basis of the team for 2030 (average age by then a touch under 28)

Dylan Periac-Cullen, Joe Gauci, Steven Hall, Lewis Miller, James Overy, Samuel Silvera, Jacob Farrell, Jordan Bos, Harry Souttar, Alessandro Circati, Kye Rowles, Hayden Matthews, Max Balard, Paul Okon-Engstler, Joshua Nisbet, Aiden O'Neill, Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Alex Robertson, Nestory Irankunda, Garang Kuol, Mohamed Toure, Nishan Velupillay, Zac Sapsford, Adrian Segecic, Christian Volpato

Forget all the names - most have been talked about already - plus others such as Stam, Archie Goodwin, Arena, Eames, others we know about (Junior NTs) and others we haven't heard of yet. But these guys have to have the chance to qualify together and build a real team, not gradually come in, potentially as late as 2030 as the older guys retire. We need to be ruthless and we will be saying goodbye and thanks for some long time Socceroos hopefully no later than early 2027.

 

[Pub League Champion]

I meant i expect them all to go by February 2027. The only real concern I have is I'm not sold on the keepers yet for 2030.

But this could be the basis of the team for 2030 (average age by then a touch under 28)

Dylan Periac-Cullen, Joe Gauci, Steven Hall, Lewis Miller, James Overy, Samuel Silvera, Jacob Farrell, Jordan Bos, Harry Souttar, Alessandro Circati, Kye Rowles, Hayden Matthews, Max Balard, Paul Okon-Engstler, Joshua Nisbet, Aiden O'Neill, Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Alex Robertson, Nestory Irankunda, Garang Kuol, Mohamed Toure, Nishan Velupillay, Zac Sapsford, Adrian Segecic, Christian Volpato

Forget all the names - most have been talked about already - plus others such as Stam, Archie Goodwin, Arena, Eames, others we know about (Junior NTs) and others we haven't heard of yet. But these guys have to have the chance to qualify together and build a real team, not gradually come in, potentially as late as 2030 as the older guys retire. We need to be ruthless and we will be saying goodbye and thanks for some long time Socceroos hopefully no later than early 2027.

Daniel Bennie. I’m confident he’ll be on the list for the 2030 cycle. Most likely out of the last u20s.

 

[JS96]

Oh, Okon will be a world cup nepo shoe in.

 

[patjennings]

So even at the beginning of 2026 we have over 30 players identified as potentials for 2030. The loss of Ryan, Irvine and Goodwin, Duke and Boyle may hurt, but we have enough quality that will develop over the next 4 years to think that 2030 will be a very strong squad.

 

[onedaywinners...]

So even at the beginning of 2026 we have over 30 players identified as potentials for 2030. The loss of Ryan, Irvine and Goodwin, Duke and Boyle may hurt, but we have enough quality that will develop over the next 4 years to think that 2030 will be a very strong squad.

Could not agree more.

 

[Quicky]

I tell you who could be a bolter is Leonard. Injuries to Irvine, Devlin, Luongo. Triantis fucking off to Greece. Our midfield depth is looking thinner. Now Leonard looks close to playing for Schalke and can play CB too. If he plays regularly and well he'd have to be considered.

 

[Decentric]

Taggart is a fine finisher at times. Issue is he won't get those opportunities in international games unlike the A League and when he does he scuffs them. Someone like D'Agostino really should be considered.

Brook is in some good form and should be short listed for the end cycle at least.

I've always been impressed by Brook.

He is on top of the AL scorers ATM. He is currently playing AM as opposed to winger, so he has versatility.

Surprised he didn't do better in the NSL?

 

[Decentric]

I tell you who could be a bolter is Leonard. Injuries to Irvine, Devlin, Luongo. Triantis fucking off to Greece. Our midfield depth is looking thinner. Now Leonard looks close to playing for Schalke and can play CB too. If he plays regularly and well he'd have to be considered.

Has he progressed that quickly?

Good to read. Wasn't sure what had happened to him?

 

[JS96]

I tell you who could be a bolter is Leonard. Injuries to Irvine, Devlin, Luongo. Triantis fucking off to Greece. Our midfield depth is looking thinner. Now Leonard looks close to playing for Schalke and can play CB too. If he plays regularly and well he'd have to be considered.

Okon though I agree. I think Leonard starts performing well he has a chance with his versatility.

 

[Decentric]

Let's see if I can make a 26 man squad. I'll highlight my choices in bold. I'll go one extra CM, one extra inside forward and 1 extra striker. I'll also put a player in brackets in the (unforuntely) highly likely event Volpato doesn't play

GKs

Locks: Ryan, Izzo
Not locked: Gauci vs Beach

Cbs

Locks: Souttar, Degenek, Circati, Burgess
Not Locked: Matthews, Geria, Herrington, Rowles

Rwbs:

Locks: None
Not Locked: Miller, Italiano, Overy, Silvera, Strain

Lwbs:

Locks: Jordy Bos
Not Locked: Behich, Elder, Silvera, Italiano

CMs:

Locked: Irvine, O'Niell
Not locked: Yazbek, Teague, Robbo, Balard

Inside forwards

Locks: Metcalf, Irankunda, Volpato, Mcgree
Not locked: (Segecic), Vellupilay, Goodwin, Chipperfield, Leckie, Arzani

Strikers
Locks: Mo Toure
Not Locked: Sapsford, Duke, Musa Toure, A Toure, Borello, K Yengi, T Yengi, Caputo, Jovanovic
Not Locked: Yengi, Duke,

Good to see this set out like this, G.

Didn't realise Volpato had chosen Aus?

Just lately I think Goodwin has declined.

Would have thought Miller is locked as RWB? Italiano has done well in his games played too.

Would agree that Mo Toure is the only definite Central Striker ATM.

 

[grazorblade]

Good to see this set out like this, G.

Didn't realise Volpato had chosen Aus?

Just lately I think Goodwin has declined.

Would have thought Miller is locked as RWB? Italiano has done well in his games played too.

Would agree that Mo Toure is the only definite Central Striker ATM.

Volpato I pencilled in but think it is highly unlikely he comes, I take segecic if volpato doesn't make it

I think Poppa has chopped and changed rwb when getting a chance but you might be right

 

[Decentric]

Volpato I pencilled in but think it is highly unlikely he comes, I take segecic if volpato doesn't make it

I think Poppa has chopped and changed rwb when getting a chance but you might be right

If Volpato does not commit with Aus playing a World Cup, he will never choose Aus.

 

[grazorblade]

If Volpato does not commit with Aus playing a World Cup, he will never choose Aus.

or do so quite late. He is probably slightly ahead of other options at the moment but who knows if we don't produce better ones by 2030