Why Socceroos will play ‘away’ World Cup qualifier in Canberra

The Socceroos’ road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been made a fraction easier after Lebanon agreed to shift their home qualifier later this month to Canberra, meaning Graham Arnold’s men will play on Australian soil twice in six days.

Lebanon were forced to move their last World Cup qualifier to a neutral location due to the ongoing instability in the region caused by the Israel-Hamas conflict, and have been directed to do so again by the Asian Football Confederation, electing to play at GIO Stadium after discussions with the ACT government and Football Australia, who are assisting the Lebanese Football Association with the delivery of the fixture.

The match will be played on a Tuesday night, five days after Australia hosts Lebanon at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta on Thursday, March 21.

If the Socceroos win both games, as they are heavily favoured to do, they will lock in their spot in the third round of World Cup qualification with two games to spare.

“I think it’s fantastic we’ve been able to assist a member of our confederation who is facing challenging times,” Arnold said. “Throughout my time as head coach, we’ve had limited opportunities to play in front of home crowds, so to have two matches in this window in Australia is extremely pleasing.”

The Socceroos haven’t played since their shattering exit in the Asian Cup quarter-finals against South Korea in early February, when a 96th-minute penalty and then a stroke of genius by Son Heung-min in extra time knocked them out of the tournament in a 2-1 defeat.

why socceroos will play ‘away’ world cup qualifier in canberra

Graham Arnold’s Socceroos are coming home.

Not since October 2019, in one of Arnold’s first games in his second stint as coach, have the Socceroos travelled to Canberra – and not since the 1986 World Cup qualifying campaign, when they took on Chinese Taipei in Adelaide, have they been the designated ‘away’ team in a match played in Australia.

While tickets are selling strongly for the clash at CommBank Stadium, the late announcement of the second clash and FA’s limited involvement will make it difficult to attract a strong crowd in Canberra, despite the capital being starved of international football in recent years.

Arnold is expected to name his squad for the matches in mid-March, and a number of players on the fringes of the national team are mounting strong cases for selection, including Newcastle’s in-form striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, who is the top scorer in the A-League this season with 14 goals, and creative midfielder Ajdin Hrustic, who has finally returned to playing regular football with Heracles in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.

Watch every match of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League on Stan Sport. All the action streaming ad-free, live and on demand, with select matches in 4K UHD.

News Related

OTHER NEWS

Disrupt Burrup protesters searched and phones seized

Disrupt Burrup Hub group say police have issued move-on notices prohibiting access to the WA site. A group of climate activists and filmmakers say their phones have been seized during ... Read more »

The generation driving a ‘megatrend’ of poor mental health in Australia

As individuals, we have unique experiences that affect our mental health and wellbeing, but what about the collective experiences that influence each generation? The mental health of Australians has been ... Read more »

Geraldton meatworks set to reopen after five years in bid to meet chilled meat demand from Asia, Middle East

Syed Ghazaly wants to see the Geraldton abattoir reopen early next year to process 1,000 sheep a day. (ABC Mid West Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis) The new owners of a mothballed ... Read more »

Blues seek ‘growth’ as pre-season begins; new Hawk aims to be AFL’s serial pest

Carlton coach Michael Voss says he and his players understand there are heightened expectations on them, but insists the Blues are ready to develop individually and in their game plan. ... Read more »

Bulldogs continue signing frenzy with swap deal

The Bulldogs’ off-season signing frenzy is set to continue with the club reportedly set to land Cronnor Tracey in a swap deal. The Sydney Morning Herald reports Tracey is expected ... Read more »

Customers to weigh in as Optus disruption comes under microscope

Consumers and impacted businesses are being urged to have their say on the Optus outage, with the federal government laying out the terms of reference for its review into the ... Read more »

Released detainee unable to be contacted by authorities

It has been revealed a released immigration detainee is unable to be contacted by authorities. Border Force has referred the matter to the Federal Police as authorities are attempting to ... Read more »
Top List in the World