Eighteen teams will be bidding to advance to the FIFA World Cup Finals 2026, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
As anticipation builds for the draw which will see several teams making their debuts at this stage of the AFC Asian Qualifiers, the-AFC.com profiles the sides – beginning with Australia.
Factfile
How they got there: Round 2 Group I winners
۲۰۲۲ AFC Asian Qualifiers Record: Qualified for Qatar 2022 through Inter-Confederation Playoff
Previous FIFA World Cup appearances: 6
Head Coach: Graham Arnold (AUS)
Fun Fact: Australia have qualified for every edition of the FIFA World Cup since 2006
Australia will be determined to avoid the trials and tribulations of their previous two qualifying campaigns when the AFC Asian Qualifiers kicks off in September.
Seeking a sixth consecutive appearance at the Finals, Australia had to do it the hard way to reach the 2018 and 2022 editions of the global showpiece.
Head coach Graham Arnold was quick to remind his players of the arduous journey they undertook to reach the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Finals.
After a sterling second round campaign which saw them top their group with a perfect record, Australia ran into trouble in the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar™.
A third-place finish in their group meant a playoff against the United Arab Emirates, which the Socceroos won 2-1.
The Inter-Continental playoff against Peru was even more nerve wracking, with Australia needing penalties to book their Qatar 2022 spot.
It was reminiscent of their 2018 qualifying campaign, with Australia having to navigate past Syria in the Asian playoff before defeating Honduras to book their spot.
Arnold is adamant that Australia will not endure a similar experience and given their quality, the Socceroos should live up to their coach’s expectations.
With Asia assured of eight automatic spots in the 2026 Finals and after cruising through the second round with six wins and no goals conceded, they should book a sixth consecutive appearance in the global showpiece with much to spare.
source
کلاس یوس