There are less than 100 days remaining until the Socceroos take to the pitch against the might of the French in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Just four days later Tunisia will be their second opponent, before Denmark enter the crosshairs for the final group match on November 30.
As is always the case, the reality of the Socceroos’ participation in the tournament has come around all so quickly, with play-offs once again required to secure the team’s place at the tournament and the subsequent time between the celebrations and actually competing continuing to be relatively brief.
It will be the last World Cup played in the current four team per group format and the future does look bright for our Socceroos, with an expanded tournament in 2026 to include 48 teams and the likelihood of Australia failing to qualify seriously slim.
However, that is then and this is now, and the upcoming event presents the Socceroos with perhaps their best chance of advancing beyond the group stage since the 2006 tournament, where Australian fans all rode the wave until being robbed by a superbly executed Italian dive.
It was Australian football at its highest peak, mixing it with the best on the planet and potentially appearing very unlucky in terms of the result that finally ended their brave run. However, 2022 presents a similar opportunity, should Graham Arnold’s men be able to muster that same strength of determination and resilience in Qatar.
The 2010 World Cup presented a chance for advancement to the knock-out phase, with the Socceroos up against Germany, Ghana and Serbia, yet the team fell short on goal difference and the 4-0 thumping against Germany sealed their fate.
In 2014, the football Gods did no favours to the Socceroos, with the draw matching them up with Netherlands, Chile and Spain, in what always looked a bridge too far when it came to repeating the success of the 2006 heroes.
The group in which the Australians found themselves for Russia 2018 did look a little more appetising, yet France were certain to qualify and Denmark appeared the most likely to join them in the round of 32.
With a then-stronger Peru as the third opposition team in Group C, the Australians appeared to be up against it as soon as Paul Pogba produced some second-half magic to get the French home.
Thus, for the third tournament in succession, the Socceroos left abruptly after just three games, with a fourth now being the desperate ambition of all Australian fans who crave for another orgasmic trip into the knock-out phase.
(Photo by Mike Owen/Getty Images)
In a sense, it matters little which teams are in the group necessitating navigation at a World Cup, with every nation deserving of being there. However, 2022 does appear to present the Socceroos with matches against two nations of whom they will feel confident of matching and potentially overcoming.
After living the majority of the qualification campaign in the Middle East and excelling in the conditions when the pressure was most intense, a Denmark team that will leave a predictably cold European winter and the currently 30th-ranked Tunisia are both doable challenges for the Socceroos.
In fact, Asian nations may well take a slight climatic advantage into the tournament, with the host nation, Iran, Saudi Arabia and South Korea all looming as real chances to advance beyond the group stage.
Whilst the French will no doubt enter as clear favourites against the Australians, Denmark proved equitable adversaries to the Socceroos in 2018 and should be respected but not feared based on recent results.
Moreover, Tunisia overcame the challenges of Equatorial Guinea and Zambia in African group stage qualification, before defeating Mali 1-0 to qualify for Qatar. Certainly a record that will not strike fear into the Socceroos.
Graham Arnold will have the cream of his crop available to select, as the majority of the injury concerns of early 2022 appear to have subsided.
He will also be hoping that his insistence that the Socceroos play their away matches in the air-conditioned Qatari stadiums will prove to be a masterstroke once the world gathers to work out who is the best football nation in 2022.
There is no doubt that it will be tough to advance beyond the group stage, as it should be for teams outside the top 25 in the FIFA rankings, yet this time around, the Socceroos certainly have a chance.
Any result against France is a bonus, whereas points against Tunisia and Denmark are more than possible. It all adds up to a World Cup where the Socceroos need to be at their best and be bold enough to dream of snaring another piece of Australian World Cup history.
Something tells me they have a mighty good chance of doing so.
Ad-O
Guest
Put it this way, if your national team looks like it would be a relegation candidate if it played in one of Europe's top 5 leagues then I don't think they are adding much to the tournament's quality. Of course you want to include teams from regions where the sport is still developing, but that's why I think 32 is about the right balance. 48 is too many bottom of the league match ups that have minimal interest for the neutral. Of course Rugby does the same with an even thinner pool of quality teams. I wouldn't like to see them move from 20 to 32 teams either. TBH, I'd make the argument the 16 team Euros was a higher quality tournament, pound for pound, than the WC.
Joshua Makepeace
Roar Rookie
Is this not just a bit of patriotic optimism that we all get in the build-up to a major tournament? It might be a bit of a bold statement but I think the Socceroos are more likely to get points off Denmark than they are to get points off France. I hate to bring up the 'previous winners getting knocked out in the group stages' curse but they'll be pressure on the reigning champions because of that. They didn't look like world champions at the Euros and Denmark could emerge as a dark horse to win the World Cup. They got to the semi-finals without Christian Eriksen and are looking strong leading up to the World Cup.
Micko
Roar Rookie
A broken clock is right twice a day.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Yep, things are really evening up now Roberto. Germany, Italy etc suffer losses to nations like Japan, South Korea etc now, so no reason not to be optimistic about Australia's chances.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Totally agree and total respect for your degree of optimism. There's too much negativity and pessimism in this world
apaway
Roar Guru
TBH, most World Cups are played in hotter then usual conditions when scheduled in June-July.
Garry
Roar Rookie
If politics wasnt involved,,and money.. I think the attempt sb to involve as many of the best teams as possible whilst rertaining some world spread. Thus my idea might be holder & hosts should qualify, top 6 Europe, top 4 Sth America, top 2 CONCAF, top 3 Africa, top 3 Asia .The last 12 could be found via playoffs and/or mini comps consisting the next best in all feds.
chris
Guest
I'd take anyone in a round of 16. England would be too good for us as would many other countries. But its sudden death so.... Losing that game against Italy in 2006 hurts a lot because if we had beaten them, we would have faced Ukraine in the quarters. And they were definitely beatable in '06. We coulda made the semis!!!
WMM
Guest
@ Football is life, I’m pretty sure He is talking about the u16s. As much as I would love to see Australia emerge from the group stages, and anything is possible in tournament football, the reality is that it will be very difficult. The current Australian team has done extremely well just to qualify for Qatar, anything else is a bonus. I hope they prove me wrong.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
If you're referring to the U23s Asian Cup, the refereeing in that tournament was suspect to say the least, oh and who progressed easily, well what a surprise, it was the Saudis. The optics suggest they have form
NoMates
Roar Rookie
Look i get it, every ones talking up there country’s chances of progressing beyond the group state and why not?. But lets get real for a moment if we are %100 on our game, %100 we will be lucky to get a draw against the African side but that’s it. That’s where the fairy tale ends. We just don’t have the players/coaches to match it with the rest of the world anymore just look at the current underage Socceroo’s that where thrashed by minors in Asia and didn’t get out of there group. They surely cant be our next gen of players we need to topple the heavy hitters of football. France will thrash us 5-0, Demark will beat us 3-0 and Tunisair will put the dick in at 1-0.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Stu, tell me if I am wrong, but Arnold's trademark is "park the bus and hit on the counter". Well, sadly if he continues that form eg the Saudi game in Sydney, we've got nothing. There are times when I want to grab the man and shake him! Hello, Earth to Arnold! It's like he's living in his own reality. I pray that eg Muelensteen gets into Arnold's head and makes him believe attack is the best form of defence. Controlled flowing posession based football. Our other option is that the lads take matters into their own hands. Either way, I reckon we've a shot against Tunisia, Denmark, well a draw would be realistic and France, divine intervention is required. But hey, this is the World Cup, it's a virtual home game both climate and location-wise and stranger things have happened at the big dance. Gotta love football, come on the lads!
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Give that man a prize. Bullseye! I would suggest that Slater is anything but positive, his verbal output is just better kept to himself
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
History shows that WCs played outside of Europe and South America always come with surprise results, and Qatar will be no different. The other thing to consider is an upset win by Tunisia against either of the European teams in our group opens everything up. All of a sudden, 4 points guarantees you get through to the next round (and in at least one scenario, even 3 points can be enough). All the teams start the WC with zero points, and each game starts with both teams being nil-all. Always room for optimism. Stop the opposition from scoring, and at a minimum, that gets you 1 point.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
If you are going to park the bus, first you have to find a bus to park! Will they have one with them that they can take into the stadium?
Megeng
Roar Rookie
I love your optimism, really. But you're not getting me excited. I'll watch it anyway so there's no need to spruik our slim chances. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than d'oh disappointed.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Those crispy croissants could take an eye out!
Aiden
Guest
Croissants at 20 paces.
Aiden
Guest
You are right but terrible example. The SOO is not marketed that way. It’s marketed as being just a good game with most of the top players in it. Better example might be the Rugby League WC, which is full of guys that play in one comp.
Aiden
Guest
No idea why are changed to see