The Socceroos 2022 World Cup campaign came to an end in the Round of 16 after a 2-1 loss to Argentina.
After consecutive 1-0 wins in the group stages, Australia reached the knockout stages for the first time since 2006.
Graham Arnold's side gave a good account of themselves against Lionel Messi and Co. but fell just short of a late equaliser.
The Socceroos will leave Qatar with their heads held high knowing that exceeded expectations and set a platform for future success.
The Sporting News brings you all the details on the Socceroos' 2022 World Cup campaign.
MORE: How to watch the World Cup in Australia
Who are the Socceroos playing at the World Cup?
The Socceroos were drawn in Group D for the 2022 World Cup where they faced France, Denmark, and Tunisia.
Notably, Australia shared a group with France and Denmark at the 2018 tournament too. In those matches, the green and gold fell valiantly to Les Bleus 2-1 and drew with Denmark 1-1.
While the Socceroos lost 4-1 to France in Qatar this time around, they went on to claim 1-0 wins against both Tunisia and Denmark to progress to the Round of 16.
Australia then faced the winner of Group C which turned out to be Argentina after they defeated Poland 2-0. Messi's side would prove too strong in the knockout match as they triumphed 2-1 to send the Socceroos packing.
Socceroos' Round of 16 details
| Date (AEDT) | Time (AEDT) | Match/Result | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Dec. 4 | 6:00 a.m. | Australia 1-0 Argentina | Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium |
World Cup Group D table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1: France | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 |
| D2: Australia | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| D3: Tunisia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| D4: Denmark | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 |
Group D match schedule, results
| Date | Match | Time (AEDT) | Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Denmark 0-0 Tunisia | 12:00 am | Education City Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | France 4-1 Australia | 6:00 am | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Sat, Nov. 26 | Tunisia 0-1 Australia | 9:00 pm | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | France 2-1 Denmark | 3:00 am | Stadium 974 |
| Thu, Dec. 1 | Tunisia 1-0 France | 2:00 am | Education City Stadium |
| Thu, Dec. 1 | Australia 1-0 Denmark | 2:00 am | Al Janoub Stadium |
Socceroos 2022 World Cup squad
| Position | Player | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Maty Ryan | FC Copenhagen (DEN) | 30 |
| Goalkeeper | Andrew Redmayne | Sydney FC (AUS) | 33 |
| Goalkeeper | Danny Vukovic | Central Coast Mariners (AUS) | 37 |
| Defender | Milos Degenek | Columbus Crew (USA) | 28 |
| Defender | Aziz Behich | Dundee United (SCO) | 31 |
| Defender | Joel King | OB (DAN) | 21 |
| Defender | Nathaniel Atkinson | Hearts (SCO) | 23 |
| Defender | Fran Karacic | Brescia (ITA) | 26 |
| Defender | Harry Souttar | Stoke City (ENG) | 23 |
| Defender | Kye Rowles | Hearts (SCO) | 24 |
| Defender | Bailey Wright | Sunderland (ENG) | 30 |
| Defender | Thomas Deng | Albirex Niigata (JAP) | 25 |
| Midfielder | Aaron Mooy | Celtic (SCO) | 32 |
| Midfielder | Jackson Irvine | St Pauli (GER) | 29 |
| Midfielder | Ajdin Hrustic | Hellas Verona (ITA) | 26 |
| Midfielder | Keanu Baccus | St Mirren (SCO | 29 |
| Midfielder | Cameron Devlin | Hearts (SCO) | 24 |
| Midfielder | Riley McGree | Middlesbrough (ENG) | 23 |
| Forward | Awer Mabil | Cadiz (SPA) | 27 |
| Forward | Mathew Leckie | Melbourne City (AUS) | 31 |
| Forward | Marco Tilio | Melbourne City (AUS) | 21 |
| Forward | Jamie Maclaren | Melbourne City (AUS) | 29 |
| Forward | Jason Cummings | Central Coast Mariners (AUS) | 27 |
| Forward | Mitchell Duke | Fagiano Okayama (JAP) | 31 |
| Forward | Garang Kuol | Central Coast Mariners (AUS) | 18 |
| Forward | Craig Goodwin | Adelaide United (AUS) | 30 |
Socceroos 2022 World Cup goalscorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Craig Goodwin | 1 |
| Mitch Duke | 1 |
| Mathew Leckie | 1 |
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Inter-confederation World Cup play-off match result
| Game | How to watch | Venue | Date (AEST) | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia 0(5)-0(4) Peru | Channel 10, 10 Play, Paramount+ | Al Rayyan Stadium | June 14 | 4am |
Australia qualified for their fifth consecutive World Cup with an extraordinary 5-4 penalty shootout win after a 0-0 draw against Peru in Doha, Qatar.
Substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, who was brought on for captain Maty Ryan solely for the shootout, made two saves, including the winning one, to send the green and gold to Qatar 2022 against all the odds.
The Socceroos were the better team throughout the 120 minutes but, along with Peru, struggled to create many clear cut chances.
Ajdin Hrustic had Australia's best opportunity in the 88th minute, but he screwed his shot across the face after being fed by Awer Mabil.
Edison Flores did strike the post for Peru in extra time with a shot from a tight angle but the green and gold managed to get through to penalties.
After Martin Boyle had his first penalty saved by Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, it looked like it would be an uphill battle for Australia to get through to Qatar.
But Redmayne managed to save Peru's sixth penalty on to the woodwork, taken by Luis Advincula, to even up the shootout as it headed into sudden death.
Both Jamie Maclaren and Flores scored to keep the shootout even, before Mabil put Australia clear 5-4 with a confident penalty.
Up stepped Redmayne to make the crucial save from Alex Valera's spotkick to send the Australian players wild and into another World Cup.
AFC World Cup qualifying third-place play-off result
| Game | How to watch | Venue | Date (AEST) | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia 2-1 UAE | Channel 10, 10 Play, Paramount+ | Al Rayyan Stadium | June 8 | 4.00am |
Australia progressed to the final World Cup playoff against Peru after a thrilling 2-1 win against the UAE at Al Rayyan Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Wednesday morning (AEST).
Ajdin Hrustic struck the winner in the 84th minute with a sizzling volley from outside the area being deflected by a UAE defender into the net.
Earlier, the Socceroos had taken the lead on 53 minutes after Jackson Irvine stabbed home from close range following superb wing play from Martin Boyle.
But the lead only lasted four minutes as Caio Canedo equalised for the UAE after a cross and unfortunate deflection off Irvine allowed the Brazilian-born striker to lash the ball into the roof of the net.
Australia were the better side throughout the 90 minutes but both teams struggled to create chances in a dour 90 minutes.
The green and gold will now take on Peru in a sudden death match on Tuesday June 14 (AEST) in Qatar to reach the 2022 World Cup.
Socceroos third round World Cup qualifying
Third round - Group B
| Date | Time (AEDT) | Match | Stadium | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Sep 3 | 4.00am | Australia 3-0 China | Khalifa International Stadium | Channel 10/ 10 Play |
| Tue Sep 7 | 10.00pm | Vietnam 0-1 Australia | My Dinh Stadium | 10 Bold/ 10 Play |
| Fri Oct 8 | 5.30am | Australia 3-1 Oman | Khalifa International Stadium | Network 10, 10 Play |
| Tue Oct 12 | 9.14pm | Japan 2-1 Australia | Saitama Stadium | Network 10, 10 Play |
| Thu Nov 11 | 8.05pm | Australia 0-0 Saudi Arabia | CommBank Stadium | Network 10, 10 Play |
| Wed Nov 17 | 2.00am | China 1-1 Australia | Sharjah Stadium | Network 10, 10 Play, Paramount+ |
| Thu Jan 27 | 8.10pm | Australia 4-0 Vietnam | AAMI Park | Network 10, 10 Play, Paramount+ |
| Wed Feb 2 | 3.00am | Oman 2-2 Australia | Sultan Qaboos Sporting Complex | Network 10, 10 Play, Paramount+ |
| Thu Mar 24 | 8.10pm | Australia 0-2 Japan | Stadium Australia | Network 10, 10 Play, Paramount+ |
| Wed Mar 30 | 5.00am | Saudi Arabia 1-0 Australia | King Abdullah Sports City | Network 10, 10 Play, Paramount+ |
Socceroos third round World Cup qualifying standings
Third round - Group B
| Team | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 23 |
| Japan | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 22 |
| Australia | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 15 |
| Oman | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 14 |
| China | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 19 | -10 | 6 |
| Vietnam | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 19 | -11 | 4 |
Socceroos 2nd round World Cup qualifying results
Second round - Group B
| Date | Match | Scorers |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Sep. 2019 | Kuwait 0-3 Australia | Leckie (7,30), Mooy (38) |
| 10 Oct. 2019 | Australia 5-0 Nepal | Maclaren (6,19,90), Souttar (23,59) |
| 15 Oct. 2019 | Chinese Taipei 1-7 Australia | Taggart (12,19), Irvine (34,37), Souttar (73,89), Maclaren (84) |
| 15 Nov. 2019 | Jordan 0-1 Australia | Taggart (13) |
| 4 June, 2021 | Australia 3-0 Kuwait | Leckie (1), Irvine (24), Hrustic (66) |
| 8 June, 2021 | Australia 5-1 Chinese Taipei | Souttar (11), Maclaren (27), Sainsbury (41), Duke (46, 84) |
| 12 June, 2021 | Nepal 0-3 Australia | Leckie (6), Karacic (38), Boyle (57) |
| 16 June, 2021 | Australia 1-0 Jordan | Souttar (75) |
Socceroos 2nd round World Cup qualifying standings
Second round - Group B
| Team | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | +26 | 24 |
| Kuwait | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 7 | +12 | 14 |
| Jordan | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 3 | +10 | 14 |
| Nepal | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 22 | -18 | 6 |
| Chinese Taipei | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 34 | -30 | 0 |
Socceroos top goalscorers in World Cup qualifying
| Name | Goals |
|---|---|
| Jamie Maclaren | 7 |
| Harry Souttar | 6 |
| Mitchell Duke | 5 |
| Jackson Irvine | 4 |
| Mathew Leckie | 4 |
| Ajdin Hrustic | 3 |
| Adam Taggart | 3 |
| Martin Boyle | 3 |
| Awer Mabil | 2 |
| Aaron Mooy | 2 |
| Trent Sainsbury | 1 |
| Fran Karacic | 1 |
| Rhyan Grant | 1 |
| Tom Rogic | 1 |
| Craig Goodwin | 1 |
| Riley McGree | 1 |