Midfield stars Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic have returned to the Socceroos squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against China and Vietnam.
Australian coach Graham Arnold selected a 27-man list for the opening two qualifiers, which will be played in Doha (September 3) and Hanoi (September 7) respectively.
Both Mooy and Rogic missed the four Socceroos qualifiers in Kuwait in June because of personal reasons but have both been brought back into the national team fold at the first opportunity.
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Rogic has been rejuvenated into his best form at Celtic under Australian coach Ange Postecoglou, while Mooy has been an indispensable part of the Socceroos setup and has been included despite not playing for his Chinese club side Shanghai Port since mid-May.
There was a surprise recall for talented attacker Daniel Arzani, who could play his first match for the Socceroos since the 2018 World Cup, after impressing in the Olyroos' recent campaign in Tokyo.
Green-and-gold captain Mathew Leckie was not selected in the squad because of personal reasons surrounding the difficulty of travel to-and-from Australia with COVID-19 regulations, as Sydney FC's Rhyan Grant was the only A-League player picked.
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Three uncapped players were named including Hull City full-back Callum Elder, who was selected in last season's League One Team of the Year, Maccabi Haifa defender Ryan Strain and an extra back-up goalkeeper in Paul Izzo.
Jamie Maclaren was among the notable A-League players to miss out because of logistical reasons, while emerging right-back Fran Karacic was ruled out through injury.
Arnold revealed there were seven-or-eight players he would have liked to have selected in the squad but couldn't be included because of issues surrounding travelling during the current global pandemic.
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Socceroos 27-man squad (vs. China & Vietnam)
| Name | Team | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Arzani | Lommel SK, Belgium | Ryan McGowan | Kuwait SC, Kuwait |
| Aziz Behich | Giresunspor, Turkey | Riley McGree | Birmingham City, England |
| Martin Boyle | Hibernian, Scotland | Aaron Mooy | Shanghai Port, China |
| Milos Degenek | Red Star Belgrade, Serbia | Tom Rogic | Celtic, Scotland |
| Kenneth Dougall | Blackpool, England | Mathew Ryan (GK) | Real Sociedad, Spain |
| Mitch Duke | Fagiano Okayama, Japan | Trent Sainsbury | KV Kortrijk, Belgium |
| Callum Elder | Hull City, England | Brad Smith | Seattle Sounders, USA |
| Denis Genreau | Toulouse FC, France | Harry Souttar | Stoke City, England |
| Rhyan Grant | Sydney FC, Australia | Ryan Strain | Maccabi Haifa, Israel |
| Ajdin Hrustic | Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany | Adam Taggart | Cerezo Osaka, Japan |
| Jackson Irvine | St Pauli, Geermany | Lawrence Thomas (GK) | SønderjyskE Fodbold, Denmark |
| Paul Izzo (GK) | Xanthi FC, Greece | Danny Vukovic (GK) | NEC Nijmegen, Netherlands |
| James Jeggo | Aris Thessaloniki, Greece | Bailey Wright | Sunderland, England |
| Awer Mabil | FC Midtjylland, Denmark |
Socceroos third round World Cup qualifying draw, schedule, broadcast, how to watch
Third round - Group B
| Date | Time (AEST) | Match | Stadium | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Sep 3 | 4.00am | Australia v China | Khalifa International Stadium | Channel 10 |
| Tue Sep 7 | 10.00pm | Vietnam v Australia | My Dinh Stadium | Channel 10 |
| Thu Oct 7 | TBA | Australia v Oman | TBA | TBA |
| Tue Oct 12 | TBA | Japan v Australia | TBA | TBA |
| Thu Nov 11 | TBA | Australia v Saudi Arabia | TBA | TBA |
| Tue Nov 16 | TBA | China v Australia | TBA | TBA |
| Thu Jan 27 | TBA | Australia v Vietnam | TBA | TBA |
| Tue Feb 1 | TBA | Oman v Australia | TBA | TBA |
| Thu Mar 24 | TBA | Australia v Japan | TBA | TBA |
| Tue Mar 29 | TBA | Saudi Arabia v Australia | TBA | TBA |
Socceroos top goalscorers in World Cup qualifying
| Name | Goals |
|---|---|
| Harry Souttar | 6 |
| Jamie Maclaren | 5 |
| Mathew Leckie | 4 |
| Adam Taggart | 3 |
| Jackson Irvine | 3 |
| Mitchell Duke | 2 |
| Aaron Mooy | 1 |
| Ajdin Hrustic | 1 |
| Trent Sainsbury | 1 |
| Fran Karacic | 1 |
| Martin Boyle | 1 |