Australian Team at World Cup 2022: Full Schedule, Final Squads, Expert Prediction
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| Australian Football Squad |
Experted Prediction for Australia Team at World Cup 2022
Contributing to the World Cup 2022, the kangaroo team will have the 6th time participating in the World Cup and this is also the 5th time in a row they are present at the world's largest football festival.
Coach Graham Arnold and his students will participate in Group D of the 2022 World Cup with Denmark, Tunisia and the defending champion France.
Australia did not exactly cruise through ‘Asian’ qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, finishing third in their group behind the two automatic qualifiers Saudi Arabia and Japan, and only just edging out fourth-placed Oman to reach a play-off.
The Socceroos have failed to escape their group since 2006 and will be hoping this is the year they can progress further.
Australia have been blessed with some serious talent in midfield over the past decade with no shortage of quality in this area of the park.
Defensively, the Socceroos are also seeing a talented bunch of youngsters step up with Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles looming as real assets at the back for years to come.
While the Socceroos scored for fun in the early stages of World Cup qualifying, they struggled to break down stronger opposition, failing to score against Japan and Saudi Arabia in 2022.
| In a video message produced by Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), 16 Socceroos called on the host country to recognize and legalize same-sex marriage and improve the rights of migrant workers. The PFA also released an open letter to Qatar expressing the need for reform. Qatari organisers of the 2022 World Cup have responded to the Socceroos’ criticism of the country’s human rights record, praising the group of players for raising awareness of issues ahead of the tournament while admitting that “no country is perfect”. FIFA did not require Qatar to make labor rights commitments for the millions of migrant workers that FIFA knew Qatar would need to build the World Cup infrastructure. |
Check More: How Many Asian Countries Will Be in the 2022 World Cup?
Group D: Australia Team Match Schedule - Time (AEDT)
| Date | Match | Time (AEDT) | Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Denmark vs. Tunisia | 12am | Education City |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | France vs. Australia | 6am | Al Janoub |
| Sat, Nov. 26 | Tunisia vs. Australia | 9pm | Al Janoub |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | France vs. Denmark | 3am | Stadium 974 |
| Thur, Dec. 1 | Tunisia vs. France | 2am | Education City |
| Thur, Dec. 1 | Australia vs. Denmark | 2am | Al Janoub |
Who Are in the Final Australia Team - Full List of the Final Squads
Australian 2022 FIFA World Cup Final Squad
♦ Goalkeepers: Mat Ryan, Danny Vukovic, Andrew Redmayne
♦ Defenders: Harry Souttar, Kye Rowles, Milos Degenek, Aziz Behich, Fran Karacic, Nathaniel Atkinson, Thomas Deng, Bailey Wright, Joel King, Keanu Bacchus
♦ Midfielders: Jackson Irvine, Aaron Mooy, Ajdin Hrustic, Riley McGree, Cameron Devlin
♦ Attackers: Jamie Maclaren, Martin Boyle, Awer Mabil, Garang Kuol, Craig Goodwin, Mitchell Duke, Jason Cummings, Mat Leckie
Coach Graham Arnold has made a point to give younger players opportunities in recent years and they'll be eager to force their way into the team for the World Cup.
Though some names are certain to be picked based on experience and quality, others aren't so assured with plenty of Australian players desperate to secure their spot in Qatar come November.
Unlike in previous World Cups, the Socceroos will be able to name a 26-man squad for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Arnold will be permitted to name an official preliminary list of 35-55 players with FIFA confirming final squads then need to be submitted byno laterthan November 14.
The fitness of certain players will also be influential, with key players like Harry Souttar and Ajdin Hrustic both battling injuries.
Once the final 26-man roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup can only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules, "a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team's first match."
Here's a projected look at a plausible 26-man list, assuming everyone is fit in time.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Maty Ryan | FC Copenhagen (DEN) | 30 | 75 |
| Goalkeeper | Andrew Redmayne | Sydney FC (AUS) | 33 | 3 |
| Goalkeeper | Mitch Langerak | Nagoya Grampus (JAP) | 34 | 8 |
| Defender | Milos Degenek | Columbus Crew (USA) | 28 | 38 |
| Defender | Trent Sainsbury | Al-Wakrah (QAT) | 30 | 61 |
| Defender | Aziz Behich | Dundee United (SCO) | 31 | 53 |
| Defender | Joel King | OB (DAN) | 21 | 3 |
| Defender | Nathaniel Atkinson | Hearts (SCO) | 23 | 5 |
| Defender | Fran Karacic | Brescia (ITA) | 26 | 10 |
| Defender | Harry Souttar | Stoke City (ENG) | 23 | 10 |
| Defender | Kye Rowles | Hearts (SCO) | 24 | 3 |
| Midfielder | Aaron Mooy | Celtic (SCO) | 32 | 53 |
| Midfielder | Jackson Irvine | St Pauli (GER) | 29 | 49 |
| Midfielder | Ajdin Hrustic | Hellas Verona (ITA) | 26 | 20 |
| Midfielder | Connor Metcalfe | St Pauli (GER) | 22 | 5 |
| Midfielder | Cameron Devlin | Hearts (SCO) | 24 | 1 |
| Midfielder | Riley McGree | Middlesbrough (ENG) | 23 | 10 |
| Midfielder | Craig Goodwin | Adelaide United (AUS) | 30 | 10 |
| Forward | Awer Mabil | Cadiz (SPA) | 27 | 29 |
| Forward | Mathew Leckie | Melbourne City (AUS) | 31 | 72 |
| Forward | Martin Boyle | Hibernian (SCO) | 29 | 19 |
| Forward | Jamie Maclaren | Melbourne City (AUS) | 29 | 26 |
| Forward | Adam Taggart | Cerezo Osaka (JAP) | 29 | 17 |
| Forward | Jason Cummings | Central Coast Mariners (AUS) | 27 | 1 |
| Forward | Mitchell Duke | Fagiano Okayama (JAP) | 31 | 20 |
| Forward | Garang Kuol | Central Coast Mariners (AUS) | 18 | 1 |
Football Stars in the Socceroos
Scotland-based Aaron Mooy and Martin Boyle are two of the more consistent performers for this current Australia team.
Playmaker Ajdin Hrustic has also shown glimpses of his star potential and is currently playing in Serie A with Hellas Verona - his ability to create will be key to igniting the Socceroos attack. A recent injury has, however, cast some doubt over whether he will be able to play at the World Cup.
Teenager Garang Kuol is a rising star and will join Newcastle United in January after starring at club level in Australia.
A lot of eyes will be on Garang Kuol if he makes the cut, with the promising youngster recently earning a move to Newcastle United after enjoying a bit of a breakthrough season at Central Coast Mariners.
Mathew Leckie is a certainty out wide, while Awer Mabil represents another strong option on the wings.
Jamie Maclaren, meanwhile, will fancy his chances as well, having impressed through the middle previously. Adam Taggart and Mitch Duke have also proven to have an eye for goal.
Captain Mat Ryan takes his place in goal, while a fit centre-back pairing of Sainsbury and Souttar could be used with Atkinson and Behich at either full-back positions.
Mooy and Irvine are accustomed to play together in the middle, while the likes of Hrustic, Rogic and Leckie could be supporting Maclaren up top.
Australia Team: Projected Lineup at World Cup 2022
Just like the squad, Australia's starting side for the World Cup 2022 is still very much a calculated guess at this stage.
In the Socceroos' two playoff matches, they deployed a 4-1-4-1 formation but prior to that were using a 4-3-3 variation with two of their midfielders sitting deeper.
For the World Cup, Arnold may opt for a more defensive formation with group games against France, Denmark and Tunisia set to test their backline.
 World Cup 2022 Full Fixtures of 64 Matches with Every TimeZone of Local/GMT/ET/AEDT/IST |
 2022 World Cup Fixtures: Australia Time (AEDT) and PDF Download Schedule |
