Tony Popovic's men have received a major boost ahead of next week's 2026 FIFA World Cup draw, with the Socceroos to be placed in Pot 2 for the group stage, after FIFA announced the draw procedure for next year's tournament.
Despite a recent slide down the rankings to 26th in the world, FIFA confirmed Australia will be in Pot 2 ahead of the December 6 draw in Washington DC. There was some uncertainty about where the Socceroos would end up, with Pot 3 also viewed as a possibility.
It is the first time the Socceroos will enter a World Cup as the second seed in their pool as a result of the expansion of the finals from 32 to 48 teams and should give Australia an easier path to the knockout stage.
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Despite being confirmed in Pot 2, Australia is far from safe when it comes to how their group may pan out.
They could draw an easier group with the likes of Canada, South Africa and New Zealand while they could lumped into a "group of death" of sorts with Argentina, Norway and Italy.
The 2026 World Cup is configured so the top four seeded countries will be kept apart until the semi-finals.
Spain cannot meet Argentina and France will not face England before the World Cup final — provided they win their groups.
The rule aims to maintain competitive balance in the expanded 48-team format, ensuring the top-ranked team (Spain) and number two (world champions Argentina) are in opposite halves of the bracket, with the same applying to number three (France) and number four (England).
The 2026 World Cup draw takes place on December 5 in Washington, with the updated match schedule, including stadiums and kick-off times, to be released on December 6.
Hosts Canada, Mexico and the US are in Pot 1 which includes Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Pot 2 has Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria and Australia.
Pot 3 will include Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
Pot 4 will be Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, and the winners from the European play-off A, B, C and D, and the FIFA Play-Off tournament 1 and 2.
Confederation constraints will apply, with no group having more than one team from the same region except UEFA, which has 16 representatives and can place up to two teams in a group.
The tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada kicks off on June 11, with the final on July 19 in New Jersey.
– with Reuters
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