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Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou has named a 30-man squad for the upcoming internationals in June that include a bumper friendly with Brazil and a key World Cup Qualifier against Saudi Arabia.
The line up has a vast array of talent with a mix of local and overseas players to experienced heads and a host of uncapped names.
The list will be sliced down to 23 on May 31 in preparation for the first fixture against Saudi Arabia on June 8 in Adelaide as the Socceroos look to lock down a spot for the Russia World Cup next year.
The same 23-man team will be retained for the international friendly with Brazil in Melbourne on June 13 before heading over to Russia at the end of the month for the highly anticipated FIFA Confederations Cup from June 19 to July 2.
The Confederations Cup is looming as the big dress rehearsal for not just Russia as a hosting nation, but Australia and the other teams looking to get game time against strong opposition in Russian conditions.
“I’m happy with the 30-man squad we have been able to name for the upcoming June international window,” said Postecoglou.
“Initially our energy and focus will be solely on the World Cup Qualifier against Saudi Arabia… It is the most important game we will play over the June period.
“With most of the players’ season coming to an end in the last week or two we will have a lot of players in early, which gives us a good opportunity to make sure we are ready for the Saudi Arabia game.”
There are three uncapped players in the 30-man squad, including three from the A-League, namely Sydney FC champions Rhyan Grant and Danny Vukovic.
There are 24 players coming from overseas and five from the A-League. The odd man out is Robbie Kruse who is currently off contract.
Interestingly, there will be a set of brothers in the Australian squad for the first time in nearly a decade after Dylan and Ryan McGowan were both named in the squad with the former looking to make his Socceroos debut.
| Name | Club | Caps |
| Mustafa Amini | Aarhus Gymnastikforening (DEN) | 1 |
| Aziz Behich | Bursaspor (TUR) | 11 |
| Mark Birighitti | Swansea (ENG) | 1 |
| Tim Cahill | Melbourne City (AUS) | 96 |
| Milos Degenek | Yokohama F Marinos (JAP) | 7 |
| Alex Gersbach | Rosenborg BK (NOR) | 2 |
| Craig Goodwin | FC Sparta Rotterdam (NED) | 3 |
| Rhyan Grant | Sydney FC (AUS) | 0 |
| Ajdin Hrustic | FC Groningen (NED) | 0 |
| Jackson Irvine | Albion FC (ENG) | 9 |
| Mile Jedinak | Aston Villa (ENG) | 70 |
| James Jeggo | SK Sturm Graz (AUT) | 22 |
| Tomi Juric | FC Luzern (SWI) | 50 |
| Robbie Kruse | Off contract | 7 |
| Mitch Langerak | VfB Stuttgart (GER) | 0 |
| Matthew Leckie | Ingolstadt 04 (GER) | 39 |
| Massimo Luongo | Queens Park Rangers (ENG) | 25 |
| Jamie Maclaren | SV Darmstadt 98 (GER) | 2 |
| Dylan McGowan | Pacos de Ferreira (POR) | 0 |
| Ryan McGowan | Guizhou Zhicheng (CHI) | 18 |
| Riley McGree | Adelaide United (AUS) | 0 |
| Mark Milligan | Baniyas FC (UAE) | 55 |
| Aaron Mooy | Huddersfield (ENG) | 22 |
| Tom Rogic | Celtic (SCO) | 23 |
| Matthew Ryan | KRC Genk (BEL) | 31 |
| Trent Sainsbury | Internazionale Milano (ITA) | 22 |
| Brad Smith | Bournemouth (ENG) | 14 |
| James Troisi | Melbourne Victory (AUS) | 28 |
| Danny Vukovic | Sydney FC (AUS) | 0 |
| Bailey Wright | Bristol City (ENG) | 14 |
Australia are currently third in Group B of the AFC bracket of World Cup Qualifying.
The top two in the group automatically qualify for the big dance in Russia and those two spots are currently occupied by Japan and Saudi Arabia.
The Socceroos are sitting three points behind Saudi Arabia so a win would put them up on level pegging as we hit the business end of qualifying.
In terms of the Confederations Cup after the Brazil friendly, Australia will play games against Germany on June 19, then Cameroon on June 22 before taking on Chile on June 25 for their final group game.
Australia vs Saudi Arabia (WCQ) – June 8 – Adelaide
Australia vs Brazil (friendly) – June 13 – Melbourne
Australia vs Germany (CC) – June 19 – Sochi
Australia vs Cameroon (CC) – June 22 – St Petersburg
Australia vs Chile (CC) – June 25 – Moscow
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