After finishing second in a very tough group, our beloved Socceroos could not overcome a solid Egypt side in the round of 32, bringing their 2026 FIFA World Cup to an end. But was this campaign a success? Overall, I think it was – and I would give the lads a strong rating of B+. However, alongside the incredible highs came lingering questions of what could have been; and did result-driven football take precedence over playing an attractive game?

But before reviewing all four of Australia’s fixtures at the World Cup, we need to add some context by going back to the appointment of Tony Popovic as coach in September 2024.

After being kept goalless in the opening two matches of the final round of Asian qualifiers, including a diabolical 1-0 loss at home to Bahrain, the panic button was pressed and the experienced Graham Arnold made way for Popovic: – a no-nonsense manager with a strong coaching record in the A-League.

The decision to appoint Popovic would be justified, as the Socceroos quickly turned their fortunes around and easily qualified for the World Cup.

Then came the draw itself, and Australia found themselves in Group D against the home nation USA and two very good opponents in Paraguay and Turkiye (Turkey.)

Written off as the weakest team in the group, with one American pundit referring to the Socceroos as a ‘lay-up’; the stage would be set once again for the Green and Gold to prove their doubters wrong!

Breakaway goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe – one in each half – would stun the highly-fancied Turks in their opening game in Vancouver. A combination of Aussie grit, a little luck and an amazing performance from goalkeeper Patrick Beach would get the job done – and just about secure a place in the knockout round.

Expectations were high for the second match against the USA in Seattle, but the Americans would apply a ton of attacking pressure from the start which the boys were unable to counter. Down 2-0 at the break, the contest was effectively over – despite a stronger second half performance that could not make inroads into the two goal deficit.

It would all come down to the final group match against Paraguay – who had defeated Turkey in their second game – and a draw would be enough to see both sides progress further into the tournament. The Socceroos were arguably the more enterprising team throughout the game; settling quickly into the match and although chances were few and far between, Paraguay would not offer too much of a threat and things would end 0-0.

This was enough to finish second on the table and progress through to the round of 32!

Going into the tournament, making it out of this group would have been the main objective for the Australian players and coaching staff – so to that end it was mission accomplished and anything on top of this would be a bonus. However, as great as this achievement was, the football being played was very workmanlike and – if I’m being completely honest – frustrating to watch at times. With only two goals scored – both against the run of play – across three games, as well as seeing vastly different team line-ups for each match – it was hoped that for the do-or-die (but winnable) clash against Egypt that we might see some fluent, attacking football…

But alas, it was not meant to be and having sat back and defended for most of the game against the Egyptians; only showing a bit of spark at times during the second half – the Socceroos would grimly hang on only to be knocked out in a penalty shootout.

Now, there’s no way I am going to be critical of the Socceroos – as my generation grew up during the thirty-two years of heartbreak in not qualifying for the World Cup Finals. I remember the strange games against Israel and Taiwan back in the 1980’s, and the odd occasion New Zealand would beat us and throw a spanner in the works; not to mention those unfair playoffs against Scotland (1985) and a Maradona-inspired Argentina (1993) – and the Iran disaster at the MCG in 1997.

The only thing I would question about this World Cup campaign is whether or not we just should have gone out with a settled line-up and played football – especially against the USA and even more so in the Egypt game. We should have seen more of Cristian Volpato for starters, and not played Nestory Irankunda in what was essentially a number nine position in the knockout match. I actually believe we could have beaten Egypt and gone on to play Argentina in the next round – where in all likelihood our cup run would have progressed no further.

So with all things being considered, I would still rate this campaign highly. For me to give top marks, we would have needed to break new ground and make it past our first knockout match. I am also factoring in that it was not a great tournament for AFC nations, with only Australia and Japan progressing beyond the group stage before being eliminated.

Therefore, I think that a B+ grade is a fair assessment.

Further to this point, I am certain that Tony Popovic is playing a long game with this very young squad, and hopefully we will see more adventurous football played in the upcoming Asian Cup in early 2027!

Photos and screenshots are from various online sources.