Australia

Australia finally qualified for the tournament after 1,008 days and 20 matches, of which only four were played in Australia owing to the epidemic. Given that the team has very few stars and that its coach, Graham Arnold, is not very well liked, many people believe that it is somewhat of a miracle that they won. He was hanging by a thread when they played Peru, and he took the greatest bet of his life when he substituted penalty-saving specialist Andrew Redmayne for Mat Ryan in the match against Peru.

Simply making it to Qatar is a huge accomplishment for a sport that is often overlooked in favor of more popular sports such as rugby league and cricket, which often take up the lion’s share of financial resources and media attention. So, the sport gets a big boost from the increase in money that comes with qualifying for the competition and from the chance to co-host the Women’s World Cup in 2023.

In order for Australia to be genuinely competitive on the international stage, a significant amount of effort has to be put in in a very short period of time prior to the finals. The Socceroos will be considered the underdogs in their group since they were placed in it with France, Denmark, and Tunisia. The good thing is that during the group stage in Russia, they competed against both the French and the Danes, so at least they will be opponents they have faced before.

TACTICS

The system that the coach uses is either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3. This is definitely his best XI when everyone is healthy and available, but the fitness and availability of the two center backs, playmaker Tom Rogic, and striker Adam Taggart are still up in the air.

READY TO SHINE

Martin Boyle

Before Martin Boyle became a naturalized Australian citizen, the country lacked the kind of directness and eagerness to attack defenders that he brings to the team.