98-483: Paolo "Paul" Vincenzo Trimboli (born 25 February 1969) is a former Australian international football (soccer) player. Trimboli is of Italian ancestry and attended Xavier College , where he was a member of the First XI, and was captained by his brother. Signed as a 19-year old from Sunshine George Cross, Trimboli would show right away why he was considered one of Australia's brightest talents. Primarily playing behind
196-406: A 2006 FIFA World Cup position as an OFC member country. After a successful campaign , the team took the first steps towards qualification for the 2006 World Cup. After coach Frank Farina stood down from the position after Australia's dismal performance at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup , Guus Hiddink was announced as the new national coach. Australia, ranked 49th, would then have to play
294-491: A round-robin tournament , with the highest ranked two teams in each competition qualifying for the actual OFC Nations Cup. With the postponement and then cancellation of the Melanesian Cup, and a similar fate befalling its Polynesian equivalent, the format of the tournament changed in 2002 . FIFA rankings determined the seedings of all twelve teams, and the lower six teams played a group stage for two qualifier positions into
392-468: A World Cup and it was also the first victory of an Oceania team in the FIFA World Cups, as well as all three goals being scored in the last seven minutes of the game, which was never before done in a World Cup match. Australia met Brazil in their second group game, which Australia lost to Brazil 2–0. Australia faced Croatia in their third match. The final score (2–2) was enough to see Australia proceed to
490-663: A berth in the final match against Australia. In the final, the Solomon Islands were beaten 5–1 on their home ground Honiara and 6–0 in Sydney . Moreover, this was the first, and until today the only time that a coach, Frank Farina , has won the Oceania Nations Cup trophy twice. Two years later, managed by Dutchman Guus Hiddink and composed of many 2004 Oceania Nations Cup scorers such as Tim Cahill , Harry Kewell , Mark Bresciano , Brett Emerton , John Aloisi , Australia reached
588-468: A cultural propensity for the use of colloquialisms in the country . It also represents the Australian English use of the sport's name . The name itself is similar to most other Australian national representative sporting team nicknames ; used informally when referring to the team, in the media or in conversation. Similarly, the name is derived from a well-known symbol of Australia, in this case,
686-805: A dedicated national stadium , instead the team plays at different venues throughout the country for exhibition or tournament purposes. In recent years, major international matches have usually been rotated around various large grounds, including Stadium Australia in Sydney, Hunter Stadium in Newcastle and Docklands Stadium in Melbourne. International matches have also been played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne and Canberra Stadium in Canberra. Australia has played at
784-612: A difficult group lead to believe that a new Golden Generation was about to begin. In their first international match proceeding the FIFA World Cup, Australia played FIFA World Cup quarter-finalists Belgium in Liège , with Australia going down 2–0. Four days later, Australia achieved their first international win in ten months, and just their second win under Ange Postecoglou, with a 3–2 victory over Saudi Arabia in London . After drawing against
882-429: A draw of 1–1, and their third and final group match against Serbia resulted in a 2–1 win. Ultimately Australia's heavy loss to Germany saw them eliminated in the group stage. Pim Verbeek completed his term as Australian coach at the end of the 2010 World Cup and was soon replaced by Holger Osieck . In 2010, Australia qualified for their second AFC Asian Cup , topping their qualification group . A successful campaign at
980-405: A goal by Mark Bresciano in the first half. The aggregate was tied, and extra time was played. Neither team scored after two periods of extra time, bringing the game to a penalty shootout. Australia won the penalty shootout (4–2), making Australia the first ever team to qualify for a World Cup via a penalty shootout. Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer made two saves, with John Aloisi scoring
1078-476: A goal from Steevy Chong Hue . With this, Tahiti became the first team other than Australia (no longer part of OFC) and New Zealand to be crowned Oceania champions. The tournament also served as part of the OFC's qualifying competition for the 2014 FIFA World Cup . After the cancellation of the 2020 OFC Nations Cup , the tournament was confirmed for 2024 as the 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup . The tournament will follow
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#17328844393881176-529: A goal from Tim Cahill that inspired a late resurgence from Postecoglou's team, they ultimately lost to Chile 3–1. Their second match against the Netherlands was a close one, but their efforts ended in a 3–2 loss, thus earning their early exit along with the Spanish team. In the end, Australia finished Group B with a third, consecutive defeat to world champions Spain, 3–0. Australia's competitive World Cup performances in
1274-727: A grand final in 2001 as they would lose to Wollongong 2–1. Trimboli would play for South until the demise of the NSL in 2004 and ultimately retire prior to the start of the A-League. Trimboli is widely considered to be South Melbourne's greatest ever player by fans and critics alike. He was voted as captain of the South Melbourne team of the century in 2002. He is still South Melbourne's all-time record goalscorer (115), record games holder (430) and most decorated player in terms of individual accolades and silverware won. He earned 48 caps (39 'A' games) with
1372-449: A home friendly match against Costa Rica , Australia won 1–0 courtesy of a goal from Tim Cahill. For the 2014 FIFA World Cup , Australia were drawn in Group B alongside reigning Cup holders Spain , 2010 runners-up Netherlands and Chile . Their first match was off to a lacklustre start, having conceded two goals in the opening 15 minutes from Alexis Sánchez and Jorge Valdivia . Despite
1470-497: A late Ryan Nelsen goal. In the 2004 edition, which served also as the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification and was played in Australia, six nations took part playing each other in a unique group, with the first two playing a final match in two legs. During the group stage Vanuatu surprisingly beat New Zealand 4–2, but lost all their remaining matches. This and a draw with Australia (2–2) allowed Solomon Islands to claim second place and
1568-467: A maroon hoop on the socks, the colours representing the states of New South Wales and Queensland, a look that was reminiscent of the Australian national rugby league team 's strips of the period. They wore the predominantly light blue kit until 1924 when they changed to green and gold . Australia has worn a yellow jersey, usually accompanied by green shorts, and yellow socks since the 1960s. The colour of
1666-471: A poor result for New Zealand: out in the group stage losing against Tahiti (3–1) and Fiji (4–0). Two years later they qualified for the 1982 FIFA World Cup . These two editions were the only without qualifying rounds. After this edition the tournament was discontinued. So Australia maintained the Oceania Champion title for 16 years without playing in any tournaments. Between the years of absence (1981–1995)
1764-490: A qualifying round for the three lowest ranked teams in the OFC, with the winners qualifying for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup . The 2008 OFC Nations Cup was played without a fixed venue and with four teams playing each other at home and away in one group. The tournament also served as part of the OFC's qualifying competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup . New Zealand emerged easily as winners for the fourth time ahead of New Caledonia, winning five matches of six. Surprisingly, Fiji won
1862-463: A two-week search for a new manager, Ange Postecoglou was eventually appointed in the position. Postecoglou was tasked with regenerating the Australian national team, which was deemed to have been too reliant on members of their Golden Generation of 2006, subsequently leading to a stagnation of results, culminating in successive 6–0 defeats to Brazil and France. In his first game as Australia's manager,
1960-424: Is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled. Win Draw Loss Fixture The following 25 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on 14 and 19 November 2024, respectively. Caps and goals correct as of 20 November 2024, after
2058-537: The 1967 South Vietnam Independence Cup against seven other nations, but this gained little recognition domestically. After failing to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 1966 and 1970 , losing in play-offs to North Korea and Israel respectively, Australia finally appeared at their first World Cup in West Germany, 1974 . After managing only a draw from Chile and losses from East Germany and West Germany ,
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#17328844393882156-502: The 2011 AFC Asian Cup saw Australia become runners-up to Japan, after losing in the Final 1–0 in extra time. In 2012, Australia agreed to compete in the East Asian Cup . Australia travelled to Hong Kong to compete in a series of qualification matches with the hopes of qualifying for the 2013 East Asian Cup . Despite handing several debuts and fielding an in-experienced squad, Australia
2254-463: The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup . After Australia qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup , Ange Postecoglou resigned from his position as coach; and former manager of the Netherlands national team, Bert van Marwijk , was subsequently appointed as his replacement. On 8 March 2018, after van Marwijk's first squad announcement, the FFA announced that Graham Arnold will take the coaching role from after
2352-619: The 2022 FIFA World Cup . Australia was drawn in group D along with world champions France , Denmark and Tunisia . Australia's qualification also meant that the Asian confederation had the largest number of teams in their World Cup history, with six countries qualifying. As preparation for the World Cup, Australia played two friendlies against neighbouring New Zealand , winning both games. It began its World Cup quest on 23 November against world champions France, losing 4–1 despite initially taking
2450-578: The AFF Championship due to their perceived wide gap in playing standards between Australia and the rest of the region. Australia's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification began with a series of friendlies against the United Arab Emirates (0–0), Germany (1–2 win), New Zealand (3–0 win), Serbia (0–0) and Wales (1–2 win). Australia's World Cup campaign started in the third round of qualification, with Australia topping their group to progress to
2548-488: The Australian Bicentennial Gold Cup . In 1997, Australia drew with reigning world champions Brazil 0–0 in the group stage and then defeated Uruguay 1–0 in the semi-finals to reach the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup Final . In 2001, after a victory against reigning world champions France in the group stage, Australia finished the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in third place after defeating Brazil 1–0 in
2646-667: The Dockerty Cup in 1988 and 1989. In 1990/91 Trimboli would lead South to their first second NSL Championship by providing the all important assist for the equaliser to Joe Palatsides in the last minute against Melbourne Knights. Trimboli continued to dominate and was rewarded with the Johnny Warren Medal in 1992/93 for the best player in the NSL. He would continue his stronghold over the Theo Marmaras medal by winning it between 1996 and 1998. In 1997/1998, Trimboli would captain
2744-642: The OFC Nations Cup before the 2024 edition , is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), determining the continental champion of Oceania . The winning team became the champion of Oceania and until 2016 qualified for the FIFA Confederations Cup . Historically, a very large gulf separated Australia and New Zealand from
2842-554: The fourth round . After winning their last fourth round-game, Australia finished as runners-up in their group , qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on 18 June 2013. Shortly after achieving qualification to the FIFA World Cup, Australia played a series of friendly matches against Brazil and France, suffering consecutive 6–0 defeats. This along with previous poor performances during the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign resulted in manager Holger Osieck's sacking, bringing his four-year tenure as Australia's manager to an end. After
2940-486: The kangaroo . The words soccer and kangaroo are combined into a portmanteau word as soccer-roo ; such as Olyroos for the Australia Olympic soccer team or Hockeyroos for the Australian national women's hockey team . Australia's longtime rivals are trans-Tasman neighbours New Zealand . The two teams' history dates back to 1922, where they first met in both their international debuts. The rivalry between
3038-446: The round of 16 , where they were eliminated from the competition after a 1–0 defeat by the eventual champions Italy after conceding a controversial penalty in the 93rd minute. The loss marked the official end of Hiddink's tenure as Australia's national coach. The success achieved at the 2006 FIFA World Cup later saw the team named AFC National Team of the Year , as well as being dubbed
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3136-458: The second round , in which they faced Kuwait , Jordan , Nepal and Chinese Taipei . Australia dominated the group with eight wins out of eight to reach the third round , where it faced Saudi Arabia , Japan , China , Oman and Vietnam . After a good start with three straight wins over China, Vietnam and Oman, Australia then won only one game, against Vietnam, in their final seven games, being held thrice and losing thrice, finishing third in
3234-481: The third round of qualification , drawn into a group, composed of Qatar , Iraq and China PR , in which Australia finished first. Australia eventually saw progression through to the 2010 FIFA World Cup after comfortably winning the fourth round of qualification in a group consisting of Japan, Bahrain , Qatar and Uzbekistan . Australia's qualification was already assured before the final two games, finally topping its group ahead of Japan by five points. Australia
3332-468: The " golden generation " in the history of the Socceroos. Led by coach Graham Arnold , Australia went to their first AFC Asian Cup in 2007 , sending a strong squad which included 15 players from the previous year's World Cup team. In Group A they played against Oman (1–1 draw), Thailand (4–0 win) and eventual champions Iraq (3–1 loss), assuring Australia's progression to the quarter-final stage of
3430-483: The 18th ranked Uruguay in a rematch of the 2001 qualification play-off for a spot in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. After a 5–0 friendly win against Jamaica , the first leg of the play-off tournament was lost (1–0), with the return leg still to be played in Australia four days later in Sydney on 16 November 2005. The second leg of the qualifying play-off was played in front of a crowd of 82,698 at Stadium Australia . Australia led Uruguay 1–0 after 90 minutes following
3528-698: The 2003 friendly against England, the Socceroos have also played a significant number of games in England, especially London, since a high proportion of the senior team play in European leagues. This includes games at Craven Cottage in Fulham ( Fulham Football Club 's home ground), Loftus Road in Shepherd's Bush ( Queens Park Rangers ' home ground) and The Den in Bermondsey ( Millwall Football Club 's home ground). The following
3626-430: The 2018 FIFA World Cup until the 2022 FIFA World Cup . With van Marwijk, Australia was grouped with Denmark , France and Peru . The first match of Australia against eventual world champions France was praised by a valiant effort, in which Australia only lost 1–2 by a virtual own goal from Aziz Behich . After the defeat to France, Australia produced another outstanding performance, drawing Denmark 1–1. However, in
3724-426: The 31–0 win, Australia broke the record for largest win with a 22–0 win over Tonga . With 13 and 8 goals respectively, both Thompson and Zdrilic broke the previous record jointly held by another Australian, Gary Cole , who scored seven goals against Fiji in 1981, and Iranian Karim Bagheri , who also scored seven goals against Maldives in 1997. OFC Nations Cup The OFC Men's Nations Cup , known as
3822-498: The Australian national team is Australian Active Support (AAS). AAS, then known as Socceroos Active Support (SAS), was founded in January 2015 as an independent group, who uses social media to organise and keep in touch. This replaced the former active support group Terrace Australis , who were founded by Football Federation Australia and fans in 2013, during Australia's 2014 World Cup qualification campaign. Its establishment came in
3920-466: The Australian team finished third in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Korea and Japan. For the 2002 edition, hosted by New Zealand, eight teams participated, divided into two groups won by Australia and New Zealand. This was their third consecutive final match. The Australian side won the semifinal against a brave Tahiti only after extra time. Soccer Australia was involved in financial problems:
4018-759: The Gabba in Brisbane, which hosted Australia's first international match on home soil in 1923, a 2–1 win over New Zealand. It was the fourth Australian team match overall, with the first three internationals played in New Zealand. Other venues which regularly hosted international home matches included Olympic Park Stadium in Melbourne, the Sydney Cricket Ground , Sydney Sports Ground , Sydney Showground , and Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, and Subiaco Oval in Perth. Since
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4116-490: The OFC progressed to the World Cup. Since Australia left the OFC to join the AFC in 2006, competition between the two teams has been infrequent, with the occasional match still receiving much media and public attention. After joining the AFC, Australia began to develop a fierce rivalry with fellow Asian powerhouse Japan . The rivalry began at the 2006 World Cup, where the two countries were grouped together. The rivalry continued with
4214-462: The Socceroos and the All Whites (New Zealand) is part of a wider friendly rivalry between the neighbours Australia and New Zealand, which applies not only to sport but to the culture of the two countries. The rivalry was intensified when Australia and New Zealand were both members of the OFC, regularly competing in OFC Nations Cup finals and in FIFA World Cup qualifications , where only one team from
4312-731: The Socceroos, marking his debut in 1988 against Fiji with a goal. His last international came in 2002 against Tahiti . Trimboli would score 16 goals for the green and gold. On 21 June 2011, he was appointed General Manager of Football at A-League club Brisbane Roar . On 25 June 2012, Trimboli reunited with Ange Postecoglou to join Melbourne Victory as Football Operations Manager. South Melbourne FC : Australia Personal honours: Australia men%27s national soccer team The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer . Officially nicknamed the Socceroos ,
4410-658: The United Arab Emirates, and suffering successive losses against Qatar and Japan, combined with previous poor results earlier in the year, Australia slipped to 94 and 102 in the FIFA World Rankings , their lowest ever ranking. The new year saw Australia host the 2015 AFC Asian Cup , with the team making their third consecutive appearance in the tournament. Australia won their first two group matches against Kuwait and Oman comfortably, with scorelines of 4–1 and 4–0 respectively. This guaranteed their qualification for
4508-401: The World Cup; they lost play-offs in 1966 to North Korea , 1970 to Israel , 1986 to Scotland , 1994 to Argentina , 1998 to Iran and 2002 to Uruguay . The team's previously poor record in World Cup competition was not reflected in their reasonable performances against strong European and South American sides. In 1988, Australia defeated reigning world champions Argentina 4–1 in
4606-414: The actual tournament, played as a group stage of six, with a home and away Final played between the two highest-placed teams. This tournament doubled also as qualifying round for the 2006 FIFA World Cup . For the 2008 tournament , the format altered again. The 2007 South Pacific Games football tournament served as a qualification tournament, with the gold, silver and bronze winning nations progressing to
4704-530: The all-conquering Ange Postecoglou -led South Melbourne side to the Championship with a 2–1 win over Carlton in the Grand Final whilst claiming his second Johnny Warren medal. Trimboli would repeat the championship heroics in 1998/1999 by contributing a goal in South Melbourne's 3–2 win in the Grand Final over Sydney United. This win led South Melbourne to competing in the 1999 Oceania Champions Cup to determine
4802-425: The back of the neck also had woven the quote, "We Socceroos can do the impossible", from Peter Wilson , the captain of the 1974 Australian team. This kit was well received. In March 2016, FFA revealed the new Socceroos kit, which featured a yellow jersey, yellow shorts and green socks. This was reportedly in accordance with a FIFA directive, instructing all national teams to have matching shirts and shorts. This kit
4900-527: The best side in Oceania. Trimboli would Captain South Melbourne to the title which qualified them for the 2000 Club World Cup. Trimboli led the Hellas players in the tournament against footballing giants Manchester United, Necaxa and Vasco De Gama. Trimboli garnered praise for his performances against the likes of Roy Keane and Romario in the tournament. Trimboli would once again find himself captaining South Melbourne to
4998-473: The crucial match against already eliminated Peru, Australia lost 0–2 and crashed out from the World Cup with only a point, became the only team from the AFC to be winless in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Subsequently, van Marwijk left his post and Arnold came to replace him as the new coach of the Socceroos. Under Graham Arnold , Australia started their 2019 AFC Asian Cup in hope of defending the title, being grouped with Jordan, Syria and Palestine, but their hope
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#17328844393885096-496: The eve of the 1974 FIFA World Cup . Both nations have faced each other in consecutive World Cup play-offs in 2001 and 2005 with each nation winning a playoff final each to progress through to the World Cup. Australia and Uruguay also faced off in the 1997 Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia, with Australia progressing through to the final against Brazil via a golden goal winner from Harry Kewell . The main supporter group of
5194-552: The final match in Papeete . Australia won their third title by a score of 2–0, qualifying for the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. Fiji, who qualified for this edition, was forced to withdraw due to civil war and was replaced by Vanuatu, who impressed in the semifinal against Australia: the Socceroos , managed by Frank Farina , won 1–0 thanks only to a penalty kick by Kevin Muscat . Two years later
5292-456: The first Asian representative to reach the knockout stage in Qatar 2022 . Australia's resurgence in the group stage was widely watched and followed by Australian supporters. Mass celebrations occurred after the upsets over Tunisia and Denmark, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the achievement "magnificent". In the round of 16, Australia lost 2–1 to Argentina , with Lionel Messi opening
5390-526: The flag, the Australian team uses as a base the colours of a typical plant in the country, the acacia , which has green leaves and yellow flowers. Their current away kit is a turquoise shirt with a gold stripe on either side of the shirt, the coat of arms being on top of a navy background. It is accompanied by navy shorts (also containing the gold stripes) and turquoise socks. Australia's kits have been produced by manufacturers including Umbro , Adidas , KingRoo, and since 2004 by Nike . Rather than displaying
5488-516: The group. It then had to rely on fourth round playoffs . Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , all of Australia's playoffs were centralised in Doha . The Socceroos began their quest with a 2–1 win over the United Arab Emirates , to face fifth place CONMEBOL qualification finisher Peru , a rematch of the 2018 FIFA World Cup . This time around, Australia held Peru goalless, before winning on penalties to make it to
5586-450: The host Australia 1–0 with a goal by Mark Burton . In this edition the Australian player Damian Mori scored 10 goals, the standing record. He is also the overall Oceania Nations Cup top scorer with 14 goals, scored in three editions: one in 1996, ten in 1998 and three in 2002. The fifth edition was hosted by Tahiti in 2000. The tournament structure was confirmed and again the tournament was dominated by Australia and New Zealand who reached
5684-478: The knockout stage, despite losing their final group match against South Korea in Brisbane 1–0. They faced China PR in the quarter-finals and won 2–0, courtesy of a second-half brace from Tim Cahill. In the semi-finals, Australia won 2–0 over the United Arab Emirates and advanced to the final for the second time in a row. They faced South Korea in the final on 31 January at Stadium Australia , winning 2–1 after extra time to claim their first Asian title and qualify for
5782-568: The last match against New Zealand in Lautoka (Fiji) for 2–0 with two goals of Roy Krishna . The top-scorer Shane Smeltz (New Zealand) scored eight goals: four against the runners up New Caledonia beaten 3–1 away and 3–0 at home. The 2012 edition of the tournament was originally meant to be played in Fiji, but they were stripped from hosting due to the ongoing legal dispute involving OFC general secretary Tai Nicholas and Fijian authorities. Hosting rights
5880-460: The lead with goal from Craig Goodwin . Three days later Australia registered its first World Cup win since 2010 , overcoming Tunisia with a header from Mitchell Duke to seal a 1–0 win, sending Australia from bottom to second place. Four days later, against UEFA Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark, Australia won 1–0, thanks to a Mathew Leckie goal. Australia finished the group stage in second place behind France on goal difference, making Australia
5978-441: The logo of Football Australia, Australia's jersey traditionally features the coat of arms of Australia over the left breast. The team first wore the traditional green and yellow colours in 1924. Australia's 1974 World Cup kits were produced by Adidas as were all other national team kits in the tournament, with Adidas sponsoring the event. The kits, however, contained Umbro branding, due to the manufacturer's Australian partnership at
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#17328844393886076-407: The main tournament. The 2002 Cup tournament proper was played with two groups of four teams (again in round-robin style), which led into a 4-way knockout stage, playing for the top four positions. In 2004 , the format changed once again, returning to a format similar to that of the 1996 – 2000 tournaments, with five teams each playing in two qualifying groups and Australia and New Zealand seeded to
6174-450: The main, round-robin format, tournament, for which New Zealand qualified automatically. New Zealand emerged as winners of the 2008 OFC Nations Cup, ahead of New Caledonia, and thus qualified for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and a playoff with the fifth placed team from the AFC for a place in the 2010 FIFA World Cup . Notes: Bold text denotes team was host country. Australia left
6272-472: The match against Bahrain . The following players have also been called up within the last 12 months. Australia currently hold the world record for the largest win and the most goals scored by a player in an international match . Both records were achieved during the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification match against American Samoa on 11 April 2001. Australia won 31–0 with Archie Thompson scoring 13 goals and David Zdrilic scoring 8. Two days before
6370-406: The most caps for Australia, with 109 to his name, while Tim Cahill has the most goals scored , with 50. Australia initially developed a rivalry with New Zealand and a rivalry with Uruguay , and, after joining the AFC, has developed a fierce rivalry with Japan . The first Australia national team was constituted in 1922 for a tour of New Zealand, which included two defeats and a draw. For
6468-617: The most important Oceanian region tournament was the Trans-Tasman Cup played only between Australia and New Zealand. In 1996, when OFC reached the official status of Confederation for FIFA, the tournament reappeared as the "Oceania Nations Cup" and served as a qualifier for the Confederations Cup. The 1996 edition lacked a host nation but had its inaugural qualifying round, contested with four teams playing semifinals and final match on two legs both: Australia and New Zealand, who played
6566-423: The next 36 years, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa became regular opponents in tour ( exhibition ) matches. During that period, Australia also competed against Canada and India during their tours of Australia in 1924 and 1938 respectively. Australia recorded their worst ever defeat on 30 June 1951 as they lost 17–0 in a match to a touring England side. Australia had a rare opportunity to compete on
6664-538: The non-existent financial contribution meant that the Australian players had to pay their own way to get to New Zealand, so Scott Chipperfield became the only one of Australia's large European contingent to answer the call and perform for his country in their time of need, resulting in a weak team for the tournament. So the final was won for the third time by the All Whites beating their historical rivals 1–0 in Auckland with
6762-409: The only way for Australia to progress was to abandon Oceania. On 13 March, the AFC executive committee made a unanimous decision to invite Australia to join the AFC. After the OFC executive committee unanimously endorsed Australia's proposed move, FIFA approved the move on 30 June 2005. Australia joined Asia, with the move taking effect on 1 January 2006, though until then, Australia had to compete for
6860-516: The quarter-finals, however, in the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium , the place where Australia had lost their opening match against Jordan, Australia once again failed to register any win in the same ground, losing to the host United Arab Emirates 0–1 due to a mistake from Miloš Degenek , eventually failing to defend the title. Australia took part in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification , which they entered in
6958-425: The same style, but will not serve as World Cup qualifiers. The first two editions were played without any qualifying rounds. For the successive three tournaments, Australia and New Zealand were seeded into the tournament automatically, while the remaining ten nations played to qualify. The Polynesian and Melanesian Cups, each played between five nations grouped on a geographical basis, served as qualifications via
7056-409: The scoring and Julián Álvarez getting the second after dispossessing Mathew Ryan . Australia pulled one back when Goodwin's shot deflected into goal off Enzo Fernández and Garang Kuol almost scored the equaliser in injury time, but his shot was smothered by Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez . On 20 September 2024, Graham Arnold announced he was stepping down as head coach, two games into
7154-665: The second leg in Canberra (Australia). Thanks to this result, this Australian team, managed by the English Terry Venables and not by the Scottish Oceania Champion Eddie Thomson , took part to the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia. In the 1998 edition six teams participated, hosted by Australia and dominated by Australia and New Zealand. In the final match, played in Brisbane , New Zealand beat
7252-552: The second round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. However, this was the fourth and last OFC title for Australia: in 2006 they decided to join AFC , changing considerably the Oceania football scene. Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation on 1 January 2006, ceasing to be a member of OFC , leaving New Zealand as the only major power in the OFC. The 2007 South Pacific Games , won by New Caledonia, served as
7350-441: The semifinal also for the Trans-Tasman Cup , and the second semifinal match between Tahiti as Polynesia Cup holders and Solomon Islands as Melanesia Cup holders. Australia defended its title of The Cup winning easily in the final match, on two legs, against Tahiti (6–0 and 5–0). The topscorer of this tournament, Kris Trajanovski , scored all his seven goals in the final tie: four in the first leg in Papeete (Tahiti) and three in
7448-449: The smaller island competitors, and little attention was paid to the tournament by the rest of the football world. The 2012 OFC Nations Cup is the only edition to date not won by either New Zealand or Australia, being won by Tahiti instead. This tournament began in 1973 as the "Oceania Cup". This first edition was staged without a qualifying round and was won by the host in Auckland , New Zealand, that defeated Tahiti, 2–0. The tournament
7546-411: The socks altered throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s from white to the same green as the shorts to the same yellow colour as the jersey. This peculiarity of the uniform refers to exactly the combination of colours used in it: although the country's flag has the colours blue, red and white, the selection uses shades of green and yellow. That's because, unlike many national teams, who base their colours on
7644-506: The striker, Trimboli would begin to terrorise opposition defences with his skills and football knowledge. In his first 2 season at the club, Trimboli would capture the Sam Papasavas medal back-to-back for the best U/21 player in the NSL and the Theo Marmaras medal for South Melbourne's player of the season in 1988,1989 and 1990. Additionally, he would taste his first silverware with the club winning
7742-457: The team has also qualified for the World Cup in every attempt, qualifying an additional four times for an overall six qualifications. Australia has made appearances in the World Cup knockout stages twice, having progressed to this stage in 2006 and 2022 . The team additionally represented Australia at the now-defunct FIFA Confederations Cup four times, winning a silver and bronze medal in 1997 and 2001 respectively. Mark Schwarzer has
7840-619: The team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia , Football Australia , which is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The team played its first match in 1922 and originally participated in the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). In this confederation, Australia won the OFC Nations Cup four times between 1980 and 2004, and dominated many FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns during earlier rounds. The team won 31–0 against American Samoa in World Cup qualification, achieving
7938-416: The team which was made up of mostly amateur players was eliminated at the end of the first round , finishing last in their group without scoring a goal. It would prove to be the only appearance for the Australian team until the World Cup tournament returned to Germany more than three decades later in 2006 . Over a 40-year period, the Australian team was known for its near misses in its attempts to qualify for
8036-423: The then European champions Greece for the 2006 World Cup, Australia was placed into Group F , along with Japan , Croatia and defending champions Brazil. In their opening group game, Australia defeated Japan 3–1, with Tim Cahill scoring two goals (84', 89') and John Aloisi scoring one (90+2') in the last eight minutes. Their goals made history, being the first ever scored by Australia's men's soccer team in
8134-639: The third round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying . The Socceroos had only picked up one point from two matches. On 23 September 2024, Football Australia appointed Tony Popovic as head coach. Australian matches are broadcast by Paramount+ and on free-to-air by Network 10 . Previous coverage has been provided by Fox Sports (2018–2021), Ten network on its 10 Bold channel, ABC , SBS until 2016 and Nine on its 9Go! channel (2016–2017). The national team has set multiple ratings records for both subscription and free-to-air television. Australia's final 2006 World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay
8232-549: The third-place decider. Australia defeated England 3–1 at West Ham United 's Boleyn Ground in 2003 as Wayne Rooney made his international debut. In early 2005, it was reported that Football Australia had entered into discussions to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and end an almost 40-year association with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). Many commentators and fans, most notably soccer broadcaster and former Australian captain Johnny Warren , felt that
8330-400: The time. Nike renewed the kit manufacturer deal with FFA for another 11 years in 2012, handing them the rights to make national team kits until 2022. In the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup, the new kits to be worn by the team were revealed. The design of the new kits included a plain yellow shirt with a green collar, plain dark green shorts and white socks, a tribute to the 1974 Socceroos. Inside
8428-401: The tournament. Though after drawing 1–1 with Japan after extra time, Australia exited the tournament on penalties at the quarter-final stage. An international friendly on 11 September 2007 against Argentina (1–0 loss) was Graham Arnold's last game as head coach, with the position eventually being filled by Pim Verbeek on 6 December 2007. Australia began their 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign in
8526-535: The two countries meeting regularly in various AFC competitions, including the 2011 Asian Cup final and qualification for the 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026 World Cups. Another major rival within Asia is South Korea , who Australia came up against in three World Cup qualification campaigns in the 1970s and, since joining the AFC, have met regularly including the victory by Australia in the 2015 Asian Cup final . A rivalry exists with Uruguay since their first meeting on
8624-478: The wake of poor off-field action and minimal community engagement. Previously, the emergence of Terrace Australis saw the Green and Gold Army relinquish its role as a hub for active support, which it had claimed since its establishment in 2001. Since the 2015 AFC Asian Cup triumph, the supporters had encouraged people in Australia to focus more on the national team, and the nation's soccer pride. Australia does not have
8722-478: The winning penalty for a place in the World Cup, Australia's first qualification in 32 years. Australia went into the 2006 World Cup as the second lowest-ranked side. Although their ranking vastly improved in subsequent months after a series of exhibition matches against high-profile teams, including a 1–1 draw against the Netherlands , and a 1–0 win at the sold-out 100,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground against
8820-468: The world record for the largest victory in a senior international match. Despite this, the team only managed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup twice in 11 attempts while in this confederation. The team moved to the AFC in 2006, winning the AFC Asian Cup once in 2015 and finishing runners-up in 2011 . By winning this competition, Australia became the only team in the world to have won two different confederation cups. Since moving confederations,
8918-415: The world's stage during the team's first major international tournament as hosts of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics . However, an inexperienced squad proved to be reason for the team's disappointing performance. With the advent of cheap air travel, Australia began to diversify its range of opponents. However, its geographical isolation continued to play a role in its destiny for the next 30 years. Australia won
9016-571: Was characterised by the absence of the Australian team and the presence of some teams not members of FIFA, such as New Hebrides , which later became Vanuatu after gaining independence in 1980. The second edition of the Oceania Cup took place in 1980 in New Caledonia, at that time not a FIFA member. Australia played the final match in Nouméa and defeated Tahiti, 4–2. The tournament was characterised by
9114-510: Was drawn into Group D in the 2010 FIFA World Cup , which featured three-time world champion Germany, Ghana and Serbia . On 14 June 2010, Australia faced Germany. Pim Verbeek's surprising decision to play without a recognised striker saw Australia comprehensively defeated 4–0. Verbeek received heavy criticism for his tactics, with SBS (Australia's World Cup broadcaster) chief soccer analyst Craig Foster calling for his immediate sacking. Australia's second group match against Ghana resulted in
9212-477: Was met with wide public contention, primarily due to the colour change of the shorts from the traditional green to yellow. Australia's nickname, "Socceroos", was coined in 1967 by Sydney journalist Tony Horstead in his coverage of the team on a goodwill tour to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War . It is commonly used by both the Australian people and the governing body, the FFA. The nickname represents
9310-505: Was moved to the Solomon Islands as they were joined by New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Tahiti, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa (winner of the qualifying tournament ). The draw which was similar to the 2012 edition with them competing in two groups of four teams, with the top two in each group qualifying for the semi-finals. After 9 days, Tahiti and New Caledonia reached the final in Lawson Tama Stadium with Tahiti winning 1–0 with
9408-408: Was shattered by a shocking 0–1 defeat to Jordan . Australia soon returned to the race by beating Palestine 3–0 before winning an important encounter with a hard-fought 3–2 win over Syria, eliminating both Palestine and Syria in the process. The win gave Australia to qualify for the round of sixteen, where they overcame Uzbekistan after winning on penalties 4–2, having drawn 0–0 for 120 minutes. In
9506-485: Was successful, finishing ahead of Hong Kong , North Korea, Guam and Chinese Taipei to progress to the 2013 East Asian Cup, where Australia eventually finished last behind Japan, South Korea and China PR. On 26 August 2013, Australia became full members of the ASEAN Football Federation but as part of their entrance agreement with the sub-confederation, their national team is barred from participating in
9604-447: Was the highest rating program in SBS history with an audience of 3.4 million viewers, while a 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Uzbekistan set a record for the highest subscription television audience, with an average of 431,000 viewers. The 2015 Asian Cup Final against South Korea had a total reach of 5.3 million Australians overall. Australia's first kit was sky blue with
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