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The Socceroos will begin their attempt to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Perth, Football Federation announced today.
The game will be played at Perth’s nib Stadium, and will be the first time in a decade the Socceroos have played an international fixture in the West.
“It’s fantastic that we have been able to work with the West Australian Government to take the Socceroos to Perth for the first home qualifier as we start our qualifying journey for the 2018 FIFA World Cup,” FFA CEO David Gallop said.
“We will have as many as nine home games throughout the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign so we will be working with State Governments all over Australia to take the team to as many places as possible.
“The Socceroos represent the nation on the global stage and we are excited to have the chance to throw them into the mix for… State Governments.
“The team is a valuable asset and we will be looking for deals that recognise that value.”
Perth was not one of the host cities for the 2015 Asian Cup, along with Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin.
Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou said this was a good chance for Perth supporters to turn out and support the national side.
“The Socceroos are a team for all Australians and it is great that we will play in Perth as we strive to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
“The Socceroos received tremendous support from fans all over Australia during the Asian Cup and now it’s Perth’s turn to come out and get behind the team.”
The date and opponent will be confirmed in early April when the draw for the first round of qualifying is conducted. It is anticipated that the game will take place in either June or September.
The first round of qualifiers sees eight groups of five AFC countries play a round robin format, home and away, which will see the Socceroos play four matches in Australia.
The winners of the eight groups and the four runners up with the most points will then progress to the last stage of qualifying, which will see the remaining 12 nations split into two groups of six. The groups will then play another round of home-and-away matches. Five of those will be in Australia.
The location of the remaining matches is yet to be determined.
Every Socceroos FIFA World Cup Qualifier will be broadcast LIVE on Fox Sports.
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