Australia becomes the 8th team to advance to the 2026 World Cup

In a key game held in the early morning of June 11, Australia defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 and successfully advanced directly to the 2026 World Cup to be held in North America. They are the eighth team (not counting as host) to get tickets to the World Cup after Uzbekistan, Jordan, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Argentina and New Zealand.

This is also the sixth consecutive time that the "Kangaroo Legion" has entered the World Cup finals and created history. Before this, the national team had experienced a trough of missing the World Cup for 24 years (1978-2002).

At the moment this round, Australia only needs one unbeaten to ensure qualifying. However, coach Tony Popovich did not choose to play conservatively, but led the team to show a strong desire to attack and eventually won the away game. After the start of the game, the Saudi team performed more positively and in the 19th minute, with the first record of Abdul Rahman Al-Obud's close-range shot, ignited hope of a comeback.

However, before the end of the first half, Australia scored by Connor Metcalf, tied the score to 1-1, destroying the morale of the opponent.

Just three minutes into the second half, experienced striker Mickey Duke scored a header from Martin Boyle, helping Australia take the lead 2-1. Since then, the Kangaroo Legion has taken the initiative to slow down the pace and stabilize its defense. In the final stage of the game, goalkeeper Matthew Ryan saved a penalty from Salem Al-Dausari to ensure the victory.

After this game, Australia qualified as the second in the group, second only to the Japanese team. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, will be in the fourth stage playoffs with five other teams - Indonesia, Qatar, the UAE, Iraq and Oman.

After the game, head coach Popovich couldn't hide his excitement: "The feeling is very special at this moment. It's a challenging journey, but we have established a good foundation and hope to go further in this World Cup."