When he was first introduced as the coach of the Socceroos, just days after Graham Arnold’s decision to step down and with just weeks to prepare for his first qualifiers in charge, Tony Popovic was adamant there was enough time to right the ship and qualify automatically for the World Cup. Now, as Australia’s men prepare to meet Japan in Perth, knowing that a win will all but guarantee them a place in North America, the coach has the chance to deliver on that promise.
Numerous permutations will govern what could happen in Group C of Asian qualifying in the coming days – there still exists a scenario in which Indonesia could qualify automatically – but the straightforward scenario for the Socceroos is to just beat the Samurai Blue. Do that, and they will ensure they’ll enter the final matchday a minimum of three points clear of the Saudis and be able to count on a goal difference cushion that currently, largely thanks to the Green Falcons’ remarkable profligacy in their eight games, sits at nine.
“We certainly are aware of what these games mean to us, they mean to Australia and to every football fan out there supporting the Socceroos,” said Popovic. “We’ve taken an approach, window by window, to get the results we need, to keep improving our game, and we’ve maintained that through this preparation. Every game is significant for the Socceroos. But, obviously, these last two games, for automatic qualification, we know what we need to do; we need to put that into action, and we’re confident we can do that.”
But while the permutations may be relatively simple, beating Japan is anything but. It’s probably one of the most difficult task in all of football right now – Hajime Moriyasu’s side are unbeaten in their last 12 games and have lost just twice over the last two years, with wins over the likes of Germany and Turkey, as well as a first-ever away win in Saudi Arabia, recorded during this spell. They became the first nation to punch their tickets to 2026 during the March window, beating Bahrain to take an insurmountable lead atop Group C with three games to spare. The World Cup has never been won by a nation outside South America or Europe before, but Japan are shaping as genuine contenders to deliver on their promise to break this trend.
The Socceroos haven’t beaten Japan since 2009, when Tim Cahill scored a brace to secure victory at the MCG. Their last meeting came in Popovic’s second game in charge back in October, when Australia were besieged but held out for a 1-1 draw. In hindsight, after the whirlwind of the coach’s arrival, that result did far more than get a point for the side. It stabilised them and gave them a result to lay at the foundation of their efforts to build something. And the coach believes they’re better since then.
“The growth and development and the way the team has evolved are clear,” said Popovic. “We all see that. We understand there is a lot more growth in us, but we’re a much better team than we were in October.”
In a boost for the Socceroos, they meet a less-than-full-strength Japan in Perth. Less than half of the squad that featured for Moriyasu during the March window have made the trip, with the likes of Kaoru Mitoma, Ritsu Doan, Ayase Ueda, and Ao Tanaka absent. In their place, established figures such as Liverpool’s Wataru Endō and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo will need to provide a steadying hand to a squad featuring more potential debutants – eight – than it does players with more than 10 international caps, seven.
But such is the growing strength and rising depth of Japanese football that even this lesser-heralded cohort possesses players signed to top European clubs. Domestic-based youth such as Junnosuke Suzuki and Ryūnosuke Satō, meanwhile, may not yet be too well known outside their homeland but the J1 League has long since established itself as the most consistently strong league in Asia. It was only last month that Kawasaki Frontale, sitting midtable in the J1 League, knocked out an Al Nassr side featuring Cristiano Ronaldo on their way to the final of the Asian Champions League Elite. Kōta Takai started that day and is in line to make his third appearance for the Samurai Blue in Perth. And with 2026 locked in, it’s a side full of players looking to show their worth.
“The way we are going to play, I won’t be changing anything in terms of mindset,” said Moriyasu. “We play each game one by one. We take each game seriously. But still, we need to strengthen our squad. We need to expand our squad. We need to prove that Japan still has a lot more talent coming through. I would like to show the world that we still have lots of players who are coming through. I would like my players to shine on the very best stage tomorrow.”
