2026 World Cup Squad

[grazorblade]

I've always been worried if we slip up there we'd look stupid but when we see Bangladesh in Melbourne it was really always going to be fine.

The reality is there is a lot of margin for error

Its not the end of the world to finish 2nd in the group if it means long term gains

Depending on the timing of the 2 tournaments, id like to use the 2nd round of quals to prep domestic u23 players for the u23 asian cup to help us get to the olympics

 

[Toebash]

I've always been worried if we slip up there we'd look stupid but when we see Bangladesh in Melbourne it was really always going to be fine.

Can't agree with this enough. We were 4 wins from 4 at that point and could have used the away leg to lock in Triantis but instead started with a full strength lineup more or less.

 

[Toebash]

Epic analysis by aussie scout

Selecting Australia's World Cup squad: 4 months out

110 days out from the Socceroos' World Cup opener in Vancouver, I wade through dozens of Australian players to select my World Cup squad.

aussiescout.substack.com

Yeah really interesting analysis. I'm not sure I agree with all of it though (which is fine as reasonable minds can differ on these things). In particular:

1. As great a servant as he's been, I'm not sure 35 year old A-League player Aziz Behich is a lock. In my view, it's a tossup between him and Callum Elder as backup left-back, and the latter's name is conspicuous by its absence in that article. I also find it a little odd that Jack Iredale isn't mentioned at all, given he has been playing week in, week out for Hibs and provides cover at both left wing back and left centre back (the left-footed equivalent to Jason Geria really).

2. Maybe I haven't been watching enough of the Wanderers this year, but Dylan Scicluna over both Balard and Devlin seems a little odd to me. Has he really been that much of a revelation? I feel the same about Paul Okon Junior (any relation to Paul Okon Senior btw?); I can see they both have serious potential, but I struggle to follow the reasoning of including them over two battle-hardened mid-20s midfielders who both play at a good level (with Devlin having the season of his life at the moment).

3. What the flying fuck has Nick D'Agostino done to justify selection? I don't understand why you would take him over someone like Zac Sapsford who's consistently performed at a decent level.

Otherwise, I don't massively disagree with any of that article. Just flagging that the following might be an interesting footnote for those of you who are following this closely:

AussieScout says: "I am quite confident that Volpato will commit, and have been for a while. I understand that he verbally committed to Graham Arnold in 2023 but was convinced to renege by his club and agent at the time. Given he is struggling for minutes at the moment, it’s hard to see him turning down a World Cup for a second time."​

 

[grazorblade]

Yeah really interesting analysis. I'm not sure I agree with all of it though (which is fine as reasonable minds can differ on these things). In particular:

1. As great a servant as he's been, I'm not sure 35 year old A-League player Aziz Behich is a lock. In my view, it's a tossup between him and Callum Elder as backup left-back, and the latter's name is conspicuous by its absence in that article. I also find it a little odd that Jack Iredale isn't mentioned at all, given he has been playing week in, week out for Hibs and provides cover at both left wing back and left centre back (the left-footed equivalent to Jason Geria really).

2. Maybe I haven't been watching enough of the Wanderers this year, but Dylan Scicluna over both Balard and Devlin seems a little odd to me. Has he really been that much of a revelation? I feel the same about Paul Okon Junior (any relation to Paul Okon Senior btw?); I can see they both have serious potential, but I struggle to follow the reasoning of including them over two battle-hardened mid-20s midfielders who both play at a good level (with Devlin having the season of his life at the moment).

3. What the flying fuck has Nick D'Agostino done to justify selection? I don't understand why you would take him over someone like Zac Sapsford who's consistently performed at a decent level.

Otherwise, I don't massively disagree with any of that article. Just flagging that the following might be an interesting footnote for those of you who are following this closely:

AussieScout says: "I am quite confident that Volpato will commit, and have been for a while. I understand that he verbally committed to Graham Arnold in 2023 but was convinced to renege by his club and agent at the time. Given he is struggling for minutes at the moment, it’s hard to see him turning down a World Cup for a second time."​

yeah daggers would be the pick I'd be saddest to see. But hey, I'm a roar fan so maybe that is some solace

I'd like to see Scicluna in an environment where the cbs are consistently passing to him between the lines like the roos. Irvine and ONiell might receive the ball from the cbs probably around 10 times a half for the roos when standing behind the first line of the press. Nearly every time they do a bounce pass back

SFC and WSW's cbs are really bad at finding them behind the press when they open a passing lane, which makes it hard for me to see how well they would do at a higher level. For okon, he was pretty amazing at receiving the ball in between the lines and advancing it for the u20s. I had an eagle eye on scicluna when I watched the replay. The few times he is getting the ball in traffic he does a good job, even when facing his own goal.

Irvine is amazing defensively, but a poor ball winner - tackles+intercepts are around 2-3 per 90 the last 3 seasons. Same is true of O'Niell. Neither are good at recieving the ball between the lines and advancing it. So we find a high press really difficulty (lack of progression) and don't win the ball back enough which leads to ugly possession stats. Aussie scouts theory is the CM merry go round is to find a player that can compliment Irvine by winning the ball a lot (tackles+intercepts greater than 4 per 90), progress the ball better, without bringing in defensive instability.

Scicluna's ball winning is fantastic - 5.9 a game - nearly as good as devlin albeit in the A league. Okon is ok - 3.7 - but amazing ball progression skills. The big if for me is whether they can have the positional discipline at a higher level of the world cup to avoid bringing in instability in the defense and whether their ball progression ability translates from the a league to a higher level. One silly give away could be a goal!

I personally would go the very boring O'Niell Irvine midfield pair with robbo and devlin providing tactical options to either chase a game or shut it down

 

[Toebash]

So you wouldn't pick Balard? He's probably my favourite to partner Irvine to be honest.

 

[grazorblade]

So you wouldn't pick Balard? He's probably my favourite to partner Irvine to be honest.

These wagon wheels are a bit old, but they are pretty similar players. You could make an argument that balard is better, but O'Niell is more experienced and we look a bit more defensively stable when he plays. Probably a close call one way or another

 

[Toebash]

Fair enough. If I am reading those wagon wheels right, it does speak to Balard being more dynamic in carrying the ball, which is what I'd be keen to see next to Irvine. I might also have just a bit of bias towards the Eredivisie over the MLS, but I'm not sure how well founded that is.

 

[grazorblade]

Fair enough. If I am reading those wagon wheels right, it does speak to Balard being more dynamic in carrying the ball, which is what I'd be keen to see next to Irvine. I might also have just a bit of bias towards the Eredivisie over the MLS, but I'm not sure how well founded that is.

oh I was comparing jupiler league to eredivisie which is pretty similar. Balard could dribble us out of trouble even if he doesn't pass us out

 

[justafanofthegame]

oh I was comparing jupiler league to eredivisie which is pretty similar. Balard could dribble us out of trouble even if he doesn't pass us out

balard averages 0.3 dribbles p90 and has never completed a dribble for australia

 

[grazorblade]

balard averages 0.3 dribbles p90 and has never completed a dribble for australia

mind you, acceleration with the ball (where he excels on wyscout) is probably different to dribbles on fotmob (dribbles are probably take ons?)

 

[JS96]

Can't agree with this enough. We were 4 wins from 4 at that point and could have used the away leg to lock in Triantis but instead started with a full strength lineup more or less.

We played Irankunda Bangladesh away at least but there were many more chances to cap people. Once Bacchus scored early against Lebanon things were much clearer the group was done.

 

[Alex M]

round 2 of asian qualifiers we should be capping youth, experimenting with late bloomers and capping dual internationals

Players who made their debut in the round 2 qualifiers (6 Matches).
Kusini Yengi
John Iredale
Josh Nisbet
Apostolis Stamatelopoulos
Nestory Irankunda
Patrick Yasbek

Thats an average of one per game. Don't forget that these are competitive matches and you shouldn't get a Socceroo's cap until you earn it. Friendlies are the place to experiment more and I think Popovic did this when he had the chance.

 

[grazorblade]

Players who made their debut in the round 2 qualifiers (6 Matches).
Kusini Yengi
John Iredale
Josh Nisbet
Apostolis Stamatelopoulos
Nestory Irankunda
Patrick Yasbek

Thats an average of one per game. Don't forget that these are competitive matches and you shouldn't get a Socceroo's cap until you earn it. Friendlies are the place to experiment more and I think Popovic did this when he had the chance.

I mostly regret triantis not getting caps in the 2nd round when he was playing in scotland

 

[JS96]

Players who made their debut in the round 2 qualifiers (6 Matches).
Kusini Yengi
John Iredale
Josh Nisbet
Apostolis Stamatelopoulos
Nestory Irankunda
Patrick Yasbek

Thats an average of one per game. Don't forget that these are competitive matches and you shouldn't get a Socceroo's cap until you earn it. Friendlies are the place to experiment more and I think Popovic did this when he had the chance.

Appreciate the reminder that actually a lot of work was done by Arnold and we've had this discussions go in circles before. Timing isn't always ideal given injuries and availability but I maintain if we're fairly certain a player will be good enough the we ought to cap those players. Someone like Segecic needs to be sorted. If it's late cameos then so be it.

 

[JS96]

I mostly regret triantis not getting caps in the 2nd round when he was playing in scotland

Some on here have correctly identified it may not have been entirely logical as he was still pretty youthful but I feel the U20 Asian cup was evidence enough to get 3 A Caps and put any little quarrels. A peculiar case though.

 

[scout_aussie]

Yeah really interesting analysis. I'm not sure I agree with all of it though (which is fine as reasonable minds can differ on these things). In particular:

1. As great a servant as he's been, I'm not sure 35 year old A-League player Aziz Behich is a lock. In my view, it's a tossup between him and Callum Elder as backup left-back, and the latter's name is conspicuous by its absence in that article. I also find it a little odd that Jack Iredale isn't mentioned at all, given he has been playing week in, week out for Hibs and provides cover at both left wing back and left centre back (the left-footed equivalent to Jason Geria really).

2. Maybe I haven't been watching enough of the Wanderers this year, but Dylan Scicluna over both Balard and Devlin seems a little odd to me. Has he really been that much of a revelation? I feel the same about Paul Okon Junior (any relation to Paul Okon Senior btw?); I can see they both have serious potential, but I struggle to follow the reasoning of including them over two battle-hardened mid-20s midfielders who both play at a good level (with Devlin having the season of his life at the moment).

3. What the flying fuck has Nick D'Agostino done to justify selection? I don't understand why you would take him over someone like Zac Sapsford who's consistently performed at a decent level.

Otherwise, I don't massively disagree with any of that article. Just flagging that the following might be an interesting footnote for those of you who are following this closely:

AussieScout says: "I am quite confident that Volpato will commit, and have been for a while. I understand that he verbally committed to Graham Arnold in 2023 but was convinced to renege by his club and agent at the time. Given he is struggling for minutes at the moment, it’s hard to see him turning down a World Cup for a second time."​

Thanks for the kind words and appreciate the feedback. Elder has not been impressive in his Socceroos appearances, imo. Behich still is performing very strongly at Socceroos level. I think he is the second-best left back we have. Fair point re: Iredale. I don't think he will make it. I think being picked in the friendly squads but not seeing minutes is an indicator that they didn't really impress the coaching staff.

Scicluna has been excellent this season, as he was pre-ACL last season (when I felt he should get a call-up). I love Devlin as a player, and he has been brilliant for Hearts for years. Like Iredale, I feel his lack of minutes in the friendlies was a tell that he doesn't really fit the plans. Fundamentally though, I think the coaching staff are looking for a partner for Irvine who can receive from the CBs and progress the ball. Devlin is a phenomenal ball-winner but ball progression isn't his game. Scicluna and Okon are the two best players to solve this problem. They are highly press resistant - even in teams where the CBs struggle to find them consistently. Okon is aerially dominant while Scicluna is almost at Devlin's level of ball-winning.

 

[patjennings]

Thanks for the kind words and appreciate the feedback. Elder has not been impressive in his Socceroos appearances, imo. Behich still is performing very strongly at Socceroos level. I think he is the second-best left back we have. Fair point re: Iredale. I don't think he will make it. I think being picked in the friendly squads but not seeing minutes is an indicator that they didn't really impress the coaching staff.

Scicluna has been excellent this season, as he was pre-ACL last season (when I felt he should get a call-up). I love Devlin as a player, and he has been brilliant for Hearts for years. Like Iredale, I feel his lack of minutes in the friendlies was a tell that he doesn't really fit the plans. Fundamentally though, I think the coaching staff are looking for a partner for Irvine who can receive from the CBs and progress the ball. Devlin is a phenomenal ball-winner but ball progression isn't his game. Scicluna and Okon are the two best players to solve this problem. They are highly press resistant - even in teams where the CBs struggle to find them consistently. Okon is aerially dominant while Scicluna is almost at Devlin's level of ball-winning.

So - this is not necessarily your squad -- just your interpretation of what you think Popovic is doing?

 

[scout_aussie]

So - this is not necessarily your squad -- just your interpretation of what you think Popovic is doing?

It's the squad I would pick for Popović's system, which I think has done a good job of getting the best out of our player pool. I think Popović will pick a different squad.

 

[dr. bellows]

Thanks for the kind words and appreciate the feedback. Elder has not been impressive in his Socceroos appearances, imo. Behich still is performing very strongly at Socceroos level. I think he is the second-best left back we have. Fair point re: Iredale. I don't think he will make it. I think being picked in the friendly squads but not seeing minutes is an indicator that they didn't really impress the coaching staff.

Scicluna has been excellent this season, as he was pre-ACL last season (when I felt he should get a call-up). I love Devlin as a player, and he has been brilliant for Hearts for years. Like Iredale, I feel his lack of minutes in the friendlies was a tell that he doesn't really fit the plans. Fundamentally though, I think the coaching staff are looking for a partner for Irvine who can receive from the CBs and progress the ball. Devlin is a phenomenal ball-winner but ball progression isn't his game. Scicluna and Okon are the two best players to solve this problem. They are highly press resistant - even in teams where the CBs struggle to find them consistently. Okon is aerially dominant while Scicluna is almost at Devlin's level of ball-winning.

Appreciate your input. Excellent food for thought. I agree that Behich is a better fit than Elder in this system. Elder's set piece delivery will be missed though, imo. I wasn't really comfortable with Italiano on the right but more research indicates he is deemed genuinely two-footed so happy with that. I probably would have gone with Silvera over Bennie but with little conviction. I don't know enough about Bennie or Scicluna to form an opinion one way or the other. Agree that Devlin has been superb this season but limited, although he has improved his weaker areas. It's a shame that Nieuwenhof is still injured )worried for his career) as I probably would have had him in the squad. Not sure about Okon. O'Neill's passing stats in the last friendly were significantly better but perhaps Okon was attempting more difficult passes. Has Okon been dominating for Sydney FC? Rowles would be unlucky to miss but Geria is probably a bit quicker so an advantage there in covering space behind wingback. Don't know how Farrell has been going at LCB for WSW but would you think he is worth a call-up in March to have a look?

 

[Quicky]

Thanks for the kind words and appreciate the feedback. Elder has not been impressive in his Socceroos appearances, imo. Behich still is performing very strongly at Socceroos level. I think he is the second-best left back we have. Fair point re: Iredale. I don't think he will make it. I think being picked in the friendly squads but not seeing minutes is an indicator that they didn't really impress the coaching staff.

Scicluna has been excellent this season, as he was pre-ACL last season (when I felt he should get a call-up). I love Devlin as a player, and he has been brilliant for Hearts for years. Like Iredale, I feel his lack of minutes in the friendlies was a tell that he doesn't really fit the plans. Fundamentally though, I think the coaching staff are looking for a partner for Irvine who can receive from the CBs and progress the ball. Devlin is a phenomenal ball-winner but ball progression isn't his game. Scicluna and Okon are the two best players to solve this problem. They are highly press resistant - even in teams where the CBs struggle to find them consistently. Okon is aerially dominant while Scicluna is almost at Devlin's level of ball-winning.

I really enjoyed the article. I had very similar views on defence and goalkeepers, and different views on the midfielders and forwards.

I was glad to see someone else talking about Bennie the right wing back.

In midfield, if we're after ball progression I think Robertson is our best option. He is proven at Championship level, is having a great season in League one, and has a strong defensive game too. I think you could adapt his role to what is needed.

With Okon and Scicluna, they're doing a good job at A-League level. I worry about that leap to World Cup level and whether they can adapt to that leap in quality. It's straight in the deep end. I think there is real risk there that you would want to resolve prior. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the friendlies.