Australia qualifies for World Cup
Published
The Socceroos are headed back to the World Cup.
Australia qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah.
It's a sixth straight World Cup for Tony Popovic's side and seventh overall.
After Abdulrahman Alobud opened the scoring for the hosts in the 19th, Australia got goals on each side of halftime to claim the victory. St. Pauli midfielder Connor Metcalfe scored in the 42nd before Machida Zelvia's veteran forward Mitch Duke earned the win in the 48th.
Australia finishes as runners-up to Japan in AFC's Group C. They join the Samurai Blue, South Korea, Iran and debutants Jordan and Uzbekistan as qualifying from AFC.
The Green Falcons are not eliminated with the loss, but will move on to the next round of qualifiers set for October. The AFC still has two more automatic qualifying spots, as well as one berth into an intercontinental playoff.