Australia World Cup 2022 squad: Roster, prospects, players to watch

Australia’s qualification for the 2022 World Cup was decided by narrow margins. A last-minute loss to Japan and a 1-0 loss to Saudi Arabia late in the qualifying process meant the Socceroos would have to battle through multiple playoffs to reach Qatar. This time, the margins swung in favor of Graham Arnold’s side. Midfielder Ajdin Hrustic scored an 84th-minute winner over the United Arab Emirates in the Asian tiebreaker to reach the intercontinental tiebreaker against Peru. There, substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne came on for the penalty shootout and caused a sensation with his antics, but eventually made the decisive save to send the Socceroos to their fifth successive World Cup.

This is not a side with big-name stars like their golden generation of the 2000s. But it is a team that was able to qualify by playing most of its games away from home due to its country’s strict COVID-19 restrictions. Some fresh faces from a winless performance at the 2018 tournament, namely speedy wingers Martin Boyle and Awer Mabil, could inject new life into a nation looking to reach the knockout stage for a second time.

Group D Schedule (all Eastern times)

– France, November 22, 2 p.m.