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Apr 9, 2026, 07:50 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions
With just over two months until the Socceroos play their first game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Türkiye, and with a send-off series against Cameroon and Curaçao in the books, the bulk of Tony Popovic's 26-player squad for that tournament feels like it's come into focus.
Be it veterans such as Mathew Ryan or Jackson Irvine, rising stars such as Alessandro Circati, Jordan Bos and Nestory Irankunda, or prime-aged difference-makers such as Riley McGree or Cameron Burgess, a core is there and, short of injury, should be on the plane. Excitement is building.
Nonetheless, from the outside looking in, some questions seem to still hang over this squad. And while Popovic might already have his answers, the Socceroos boss' furtiveness when it comes to planning, as well as the prospect of an intense, Florida-based training camp and pre-World Cup hit-out against Mexico still to come, means we'll likely be debating how they'll be addressed until the final squad is revealed on June 1.
So, what are the three most pressing issues facing the Socceroos?
– Pochettino's World Cup to-do list: What the USMNT must figure out
– Ranking all 48 national teams at the 2026 World Cup
– Sydney and Melbourne at the heart of A-League coaching shake-ups
Which center back doesn't make the Socceroos' World Cup squad?
The challenges of abundance can oftentimes prove just as difficult, perhaps moreso, than scarcity. And whereas there are several areas of the squad in which injury, poor form, or obvious standout options would appear to make Popovic's job a simple one, the sheer amount of central defensive depth available is enough to give him a few headaches. You'd think that Circati and Burgess are locked into the squad and almost certain to start against Türkiye, but who joins them?
Milos Degenek, Kye Rowles, and Jason Geria all started qualifiers for Popovic, represent known quantities who can be mostly trusted to deliver a requisite level under the bright lights, and can slot in at multiple positions across the backline. Kai Trewin has taken his game to another level since the start of the season and ticks those latter two boxes, too, while bolter Lucas Herrington became one of the select few players to make a strong enough first impression to start twice in his first call-up last month. Jack Iredale and Hayden Matthews have also been in squads in the past year.
And looming over this conversation, physically and metaphorically, is Harry Souttar. His resume suggests that he's one of Australia's best center backs. But he hasn't played a competitive fixture since Boxing Day in 2024, and, although he's nearing a return, with Leicester City in a relegation scrap, he'll be fighting an uphill battle to convince Foxes boss Gary Rowett to throw him in between now and the end of the Championship campaign. Popovic's acknowledgement that he considered bringing the towering defender in for the March window suggests he'll want to take a look at him before the World Cup regardless, but is a Florida training camp and a friendly against Mexico on May 30 enough to earn Souttar one of 26 places on offer?
Further, just how many tickets are available to this cohort? It's easy to point to players who are worthy of a place, but it's much harder to be decisive when it comes to leaving some of them out. You'd anticipate that Popovic would go at least two-deep at every position XI, meaning his back three would make six slots available, but is he going to carry more if he's identified that varied profiles will be necessary across the three games, or if you can play multiple positions across the park? Or perhaps fewer, if he's happy with the depth?
Which Socceroos midfielders will get the nod from Popovic?
In that same vein, while there's been a glut of midfielders thrown up as possible contenders for the Socceroos squad — Irvine, Aiden O'Neill, Patrick Yazbek, Max Balard, Paul Okon-Engstler, Alex Robertson, Cameron Devlin, Anthony Cáceres, Max Burgess, and Ryan Teague amongst them — just how many does Popovic actually feel he'll need to have at his disposal come that first game in Vancouver?
The coach's system often sees wingers tucking inside while the fullbacks get forward to provide width, which means there are just two traditional midfielders tasked with patrolling the middle of the park. Add to this several members of the squad being able to play on up front and drop into the midfield — Connor Metcalfe, Ajdin Hrustic and McGree all likely selections — and there's potentially even less pressing need for the out-and-out midfield type.
The consensus is that Irvine, assuming he's fit, and O'Neill are locks, with the former as a guaranteed starter and, thus, requiring a complementary profile alongside. But how many midfielders, and what sort, does the coach want after that? Yazbek and Okon-Engstler, from the outside, appear well placed given their minutes in March, but do Robertson, Devlin, or Balard have scope to make a late push?
How many traditional strikers will Popovic include in the Socceroos squad?
Then, finally, the question Socceroos have been asking themselves for years now: who leads the line, and what does the dynamic up top look like? After missing March's international break through injury, Mohamed Toure is already back on the park for Norwich City and firing, so, if he's fit, it's hard to see how he doesn't make the plane and push to start.
Beyond him, though?
After starting against Cameroon and Curaçao, Deni Juric would seemingly have the inside running on a spot, albeit Mitchell Duke is back amongst the goals at Macarthur FC and making no secret of his World Cup ambitions before international retirement. Ante Suto didn't get on the park in his first camp, but that's hardly a new phenomenon, and if he keeps scoring at Hibernian, he'll keep pushing his case.
Given they've never been called up by Popovic, the likes of Tete Yengi, Zac Sapsford, Luka Jovanovic, and Lachlan Rose will likely have to shift their hopes to 2030, while Brandon Borrello and Adam Taggart have probably fallen too far back. Nicholas D'Agostino would be pushing if he were fit, but he's in a race against time in his attempts to return from a knee injury.
And, as above, how many out-and-out strikers will actually get on the plane? Wingers Martin Boyle and Nishan Velupillay can both move inside if needed, and Irankunda was used in a central role in March and excelled — demonstrating his increased emphasis on getting into the box and shooting. Does this adaptable depth elsewhere mean that we might only see two traditional strikers in the 26?
