The Socceroos are officially through to Group D at the 2026 FIFA World Cup! This upcoming tournament is particularly momentous, as it will be hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament’s most challenging draw, the group includes perennial powerhouse the United States and South American titans Paraguay. Moreover, a final rival is already known, coming from the European playoff between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, or Kosovo. From 2026, the World Cup will expand to 48 teams playing across 104 matches.
Of the five teams in their group, the United States is an outlier with their current world ranking of 14th. The Socceroos’ record against the US all-time is one victory, one tie, and two defeats in four matches. The last time these two teams met was in October, when the Socceroos fell to a close 2-1 loss. This painful loss only serves to underscore how intense their rivalry has become. It sets up a thrilling rematch to come in the World Cup!
Paraguay, currently 39th in the world, further complicates Group D’s calculus. The Socceroos have not played against Paraguay since a friendly in 2010, which the Socceroos won 1-0. Oddly enough, Australia has never lost to Paraguay, and are 2-0-3 all-time in five meetings against La Albirroja. This extensive record should give the Socceroos a whole heap of confidence ahead of the daunting task they face against their South American rivals.
What a lucky draw for the Socceroos! They pulled off some epic upsets by avoiding gruesome second round match-ups with soccer super giants like Argentina, Spain, France and England. Further, they avoided matchups with Italy and Denmark, both of whom remain tightly in the mix for qualification into the tournament.
The last opponent for the Socceroos will not be known until the end of March when the European playoffs are decided. The team and its supporters remain understandably on edge because of this uncertainty. They are now keenly awaiting confirmation of their final group stage opponent, to come from Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.
With the tournament just days away, excitement is building among the player pool with great emphasis on making it out of Group D. The 12 groups are made up of three teams each, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stage. They will be joined by the eight best third-placed teams. Under this format, each game will be a cup final, meaning every single one of them will be loaded with importance, especially for the Socceroos’ hopes.
