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The Australian national football team heads to China with renewed confidence in their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, following a significant victory and a substantial number of goals scored, coupled with strong support from coach Tony Popovic.
Australia solidified their second-place position in Group C of the Asian World Cup qualifiers with a resounding 5-1 victory over Indonesia in Sydney on Thursday. This win puts the Australian team in a favorable position to secure direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America, after group leaders Japan had already clinched the first qualifying spot.
Prior to the Indonesia match, Australia, ranked 26th globally, faced some challenges in the first six months under Popovic’s tenure, who took over from Graham Arnold. The team struggled with missed scoring opportunities and costly defensive errors.
However, Australia remains undefeated under Popovic, who seems confident that his team is gradually transforming into the dynamic force he envisions.
While the comprehensive victory over Indonesia, ranked 127th globally, may not be a true measure of the team’s strength, it represents a significant improvement compared to the goalless draw in Jakarta last year, which preceded Arnold’s resignation.
Popovic commented on Australia’s progress, saying, “My expectations are very high, so I would say we are not yet where we want to be, but this is not a negative, but a positive. The team has taken significant steps forward, and what they did tonight was not easy. We are always striving to improve and develop our playing style, and this will come with more games together. During this camp, I felt for the first time that the team is starting to gel and unite to achieve our goals.”
It’s worth noting that Australia defeated China 3-1 at home last year, in Popovic’s first match with the team. The two teams will meet again in Hangzhou next Tuesday.
China, who lost 1-0 to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, sits at the bottom of Group C but is tied on points with Indonesia and Bahrain, each with 6 points.
All five teams, excluding already-qualified Japan, are still fiercely competing for World Cup qualification.
The Australian team aims to return from China with as many points as possible to maintain their lead over Saudi Arabia, who are in third place, trailing by one point.
Any result less than that would put pressure on Australia before their final two matches in June, as the team seeks to avoid the perilous final qualifying rounds.
