For a fifth straight World Cup, Australia were aiming to make an impact on the biggest stage of all in Qatar.
The Socceroos took the long route to this World Cup, and not for the first time, with playoff wins against the UAE and Peru after they failed to directly qualify for the FIFA tournament. Their match against Peru even went to penalties!
Australia had only ever reached the knockout stages of a World Cup once, at Germany 2006 with a golden generation of players, but this crop of players have written their name in national folklore after repeating the trick.
The Sporting News brings you all the information about when and where Australia will play and how to watch the World Cup action Down Under.
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Australia 2022 World Cup schedule
Just like in 2018, the Socceroos started the 2022 World Cup with a match against France. Les Bleus beat Australia 2-1 four years ago and went on to win the tournament.
Considering the history of World Cup winners in tournaments immediately after their title success, the Socceroos were not ruling out a shock result, but it proved to be a one-sided affair, as the French came from behind after Craig Goodwin had stunned them into life to win 4-1.
Tunisia were next up for Australia after France, with the tie billed in advance as a must-win for both teams if they want to claim a top-two finish.
The Socceroos met the test, and in scintillating fashion. Cheering the nation with a superb, and hard-fought, 1-0 win to go second in the group.
Graham Arnold's side rounded out the group stage against Denmark — another team they faced in Russia four years ago.
In 2018, these teams couldn't be split in a 1-1 draw, but this time it was the Socceroos who stole the vital win after Mathew Leckie's second-half winner sent Denmark crashing out at the group stage.
That gave them a memorable trip to the Round of 16, and a meeting with Argentina and Lionel Messi.
Once again, the Socceroos carried the hopes of a nation, and they did themselves proud. Some Messi magic and a goal from Julian Alvarez ultimately saw them come up short, although a late Enzo Fernandez own goal did give Graham Arnold's men brief late hope, and things could have been different had Garang Kuol netted a gilt-edged chance in injury time.
Australia's Group D match schedule
| Date (AEDT) | Time (AEDT) | Match | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Nov. 23 | 6:00 a.m. | France 4-1 Australia | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Sat, Nov. 26 | 9:00 p.m. | Australia 1 Tunisia 0 | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Thu, Dec. 1 | 2:00 a.m. | Australia 1 Denmark 0 | Al Janoub Stadium |
Knockout round schedule, as Australia finished second in Group D
| Date (AEDT) | Stage | Time (AEDT) | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Dec. 4 | Australia 1 Argentina 2 (R16) | 6:00 a.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
World Cup Group D betting odds
The pre-tournament betting odds for Australia and other Group D sides in the major global territories are below (odds via BetMGM for U.S., Sky Bet for U.K., Sports Interaction for Canada and Ladbrokes for Australia).
| Team | To win group |
|---|---|
| France | -275 (US) 4/9 (UK) 1.41 (CAN) 1.40 (AU) |
| Denmark | +275 (US) 9/4 (UK) 3.46 (CAN) 3.75 (AU) |
| Australia | +1400 (US) 18/1 (UK) 16 (CAN) 12.50 (AU) |
| Tunisia | +1700 (US) 20/1 (UK) 17 (CAN) 15.00 (AU) |
| Team | To qualify |
| France | -2000 (US) 1/16 (UK) 1.09 (CAN) 1.08 (AU) |
| Denmark | -275 (US) 2/7 (UK) 1.33 (CAN) 1.30 (AU) |
| Australia | +333 (US) 9/2 (UK) 3.56 (CAN) 4.50 (AU) |
| Tunisia | +350 (US) 4/1 (UK) 3.83 (CAN) 4.50 (AU) |
| Team | To win World Cup |
| France | +600 (US) 6/1 (UK) 4.91 (CAN) 7.00 (AU) |
| Denmark | +2800 (US) 28/1 (UK) 17.86 (CAN) 29.00 (AU) |
| Australia | +40000 (US) 500/1 (UK) 217 (CAN) 251 (AU) |
| Tunisia | +40000 (US) 750/1 (UK) 304 (CAN) 401 (AU) |
How to watch World Cup games in Australia
- TV: SBS, SBS VICELAND
- Streaming: SBS On Demand
Every World Cup match will be broadcast live and free via SBS in Australia.
All games will be televised on SBS or SBS VICELAND, while every match can be also streamed via SBS On Demand.
Optus Sport broadcast the 2018 World Cup but ultimately had to simulcast games with SBS due to technical difficulties.
Australia's World Cup qualifying matches for Qatar were shown on Network 10 and Paramount+ but they don't have the rights for the tournament itself.
World Cup game times in Australia
Qatar resides in the Arabian Standard Time Zone, which is GMT +3.
For most Australians, this means kick-off times in Qatar take place eight hours later in the AEDT timezone.
During the group stage, games will kick off between 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. (local time) which corresponds to 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. (AEDT).
The World Cup final is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. (local time) meaning an early 2 a.m. (AEDT) kick off for most Aussies watching from Down Under.
World Cup 2022 kick-off times in Australia
Group stage (AEDT):
- 9:00 p.m.
- 12:00 a.m.
- 2:00 a.m.
- 6:00 a.m.
Knockout stage (AEDT):
- 2:00 a.m. (Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Third Place Match, Final)
- 6:00 a.m. (Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals)
Australia World Cup squad 2022
Here's Australia's World Cup squad (Caps correct as of start of Qatar 2022):
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Maty Ryan | FC Copenhagen (DEN) | 30 | 75 |
| Goalkeeper | Andrew Redmayne | Sydney FC (AUS) | 33 | 3 |
| Goalkeeper | Danny Vukovic | Central Coast Mariners (AUS) | 37 | 4 |
| Defender | Milos Degenek | Columbus Crew (USA) | 28 | 38 |
| Defender | Aziz Behich | Dundee United (SCO) | 31 | 53 |
| Defender | Joel King | OB (DAN) | 21 | 3 |
| Defender | Nathaniel Atkinson | Hearts (SCO) | 23 | 5 |
| Defender | Fran Karacic | Brescia (ITA) | 26 | 10 |
| Defender | Harry Souttar | Stoke City (ENG) | 23 | 10 |
| Defender | Kye Rowles | Hearts (SCO) | 24 | 3 |
| Defender | Bailey Wright | Sunderland (ENG) | 30 | 27 |
| Defender | Thomas Deng | Albirex Niigata (JAP) | 25 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Aaron Mooy | Celtic (SCO) | 32 | 53 |
| Midfielder | Jackson Irvine | St Pauli (GER) | 29 | 49 |
| Midfielder | Ajdin Hrustic | Hellas Verona (ITA) | 26 | 20 |
| Midfielder | Keanu Baccus | St Mirren (SCO | 29 | 53 |
| Midfielder | Cameron Devlin | Hearts (SCO) | 24 | 1 |
| Midfielder | Riley McGree | Middlesbrough (ENG) | 23 | 10 |
| Forward | Awer Mabil | Cadiz (SPA) | 27 | 29 |
| Forward | Mathew Leckie | Melbourne City (AUS) | 31 | 72 |
| Forward | Marco Tilio | Melbourne City (AUS) | 21 | 5 |
| Forward | Jamie Maclaren | Melbourne City (AUS) | 29 | 26 |
| Forward | Jason Cummings | Central Coast Mariners (AUS) | 27 | 1 |
| Forward | Mitchell Duke | Fagiano Okayama (JAP) | 31 | 20 |
| Forward | Garang Kuol | Central Coast Mariners (AUS) | 18 | 1 |
| Forward | Craig Goodwin | Adelaide United (AUS) | 30 | 10 |