The Socceroos have been drawn alongside Japan, Saudi Arabia, China, Oman and Vietnam in Group B of the third phase of Asian World Cup qualifying. This marks the fourth consecutive campaign in which Australia have faced Japan at this stage, having also met in qualifying for the 2010, 2014 and 2018 tournaments.
Australia also faced Saudi Arabia in the 2018 qualifiers, finishing third behind Japan and the Middle Eastern nation, which sent them into a play-off route to Russia. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for Qatar 2022, while the third-placed teams will enter a play-off, with the winner facing a side from another confederation for a two-legged tie.
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold expressed confidence after his team won all eight matches in the second phase, seven of which were played away from home. “What we learnt in the second phase … has given the players a lot of belief and confidence when they play away from home,” Arnold said. “We’ve shown a lot of resilience and … we expect to win every game.”
Australia and Japan share a long rivalry, including the Socceroos’ first World Cup finals win, a 3-1 victory in 2006 inspired by a Tim Cahill double. Australia have won seven of 25 matches against Japan, but their last victory came in 2010; Japan have won four of the past seven encounters.
The third-phase matches are scheduled from September 2021 to March 2022, but dates and venues are unconfirmed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Matches may be played in a tournament-style hub, as seen in the final second-phase games last month.
