The Socceroos have reached the third round of Asia's World Cup qualification, with the top two teams from each of the two groups booking a ticket to the Qatar 2022 tournament.
The Graham Arnold-led Australian team will be aiming to qualify for their fifth consecutive World Cup - and a sixth in the nation's history.
Australia has received their final path to the World Cup, with a favourable draw featuring Japan, Saudi Arabia, China, Oman and Vietnam.
Sporting News looks at everything you need to know about the Socceroos' quest to once again feature on football's biggest stage.
Socceroos third round World Cup qualifying draw, schedule, broadcast, how to watch
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 | TBA | Australia v Japan | Stadium Australia | Network 10, 10 Play, Paramount+ |
| Tue Mar 29 | TBA | Saudi Arabia v Australia | TBA | 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 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 19 |
| Japan | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 18 |
| Australia | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 15 |
| Oman | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 8 |
| China | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 16 | -8 | 5 |
| Vietnam | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 | -10 | 3 |
How the Socceroos can progress to the World Cup from third round of qualifying?
The top two teams from Australia's group will get direct qualification to the World Cup.
The third-place team in the group will playoff against the third-place team in Group A across a single match, with the winner to take on a team from another confederation for a ticket to Qatar.
Failure to finish in the top three means there will be no chance of earning qualification to football's showpiece event.
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 |
How do the Socceroos qualify for the World Cup?
To progress to the third round of World Cup qualifying , the Socceroos need to finish top of Group B in the second round - or be one of the four best runners-up across the eight groups.
Meeting the above criteria will also see the green and gold qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup - which will be hosted in China.
Failure to finish in the top two places in group B will see Australia's hopes of going to Qatar extinguished.
If the Socceroos reach the third round of qualifying , they will be placed into one of two groups of six teams.
The first two teams in each group will qualify for the World Cup .
The two third-placed teams proceed to the fourth round , which will see them square off in a playoff against each other in a single leg match. The winner of this match will take on another team from a different confederation in a two-leg match with the winner earning a spot at Qatar 2022.
Socceroos squad (vs. Vietnam and Oman)
| Name | Team | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Nabbout | Melbourne City, Australia | Fran Karacic | Brescia, Italy |
| Aziz Behich | Giresunspor, Turkey | Connor Metcalfe | Melbourne City, Australia |
| Martin Boyle | Hibernian, Scotland | James Jeggo | Aris Thessaloniki, Greece |
| Milos Degenek | Uncontracted | Riley McGree | Middlesbrough, England |
| Brandon Borrello | Dynamo Dresden, Germany | Ryan McGowan | Kuwait SC, Kuwait |
| Mitch Duke | Fagiano Okayama, Japan | Jamie Maclaren | Melbourne City, Australia |
| Marco Tilio | Melbourne City, Australia | Mathew Ryan (GK) | Real Sociedad, Spain |
| Craig Goodwin | Adelaide United, Australia | Trent Sainsbury | KV Kortrijk, Belgium |
| Rhyan Grant | Sydney FC, Australia | Tom Rogic | Celtic, Scotland |
| Ajdin Hrustic* | Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany | Matthew Leckie | Melbourne City, Australia |
| Jackson Irvine | St Pauli, Germany | Andrew Redmayne | Sydney FC, Australia |
| Joel King | Sydney FC, Australai | Danny Vukovic (GK) | NEC Nijmegen, Netherlands |
| Aaron Mooy | Shangai Port FC, China |
Socceroos top goalscorers in World Cup qualifying
| Name | Goals |
|---|---|
| Jamie Maclaren | 7 |
| Harry Souttar | 6 |
| Mitchell Duke | 5 |
| Mathew Leckie | 4 |
| Adam Taggart | 3 |
| Jackson Irvine | 3 |
| Martin Boyle | 3 |
| Awer Mabil | 2 |
| Ajdin Hrustic | 2 |
| Aaron Mooy | 2 |
| Trent Sainsbury | 1 |
| Fran Karacic | 1 |
| Rhyan Grant | 1 |
| Tom Rogic | 1 |
| Craig Goodwin | 1 |
| Riley McGree | 1 |