The Socceroos showed a remarkable shift in intent during their two-game series against Brazil, with a young crop of players embodying Australia's evolution under coach Tony Popovic. Even before the matches, Popovic noted a change in demeanour among his squad, a shift that has been building since Australia sealed World Cup qualification early in June 2025.
Early qualification paved the way for youth
When Australia beat Saudi Arabia to book their place in North America, neither Nestory Irankunda nor Mohamed Touré were regular selections. Their international breakthroughs came in October friendlies against New Zealand. Paul Okon-Engstler, Patrick Beach, and Lucas Herrington had not debuted, while Cristian Volpato was still with Italy's junior teams.
Now, all have been to a World Cup, and most have secured moves to bigger leagues. Herrington's rise took him from the A-League Men to the Premier League via MLS in 12 months. Popovic says their "understanding of the game is certainly improving".
Improved performances against Brazil
Assembling for the first time since their penalty shootout elimination against Egypt, the Socceroos drew 1-1 in Townsville and lost 4-2 in Brisbane. Despite the results, there was an air of progress. The hard running and physicality remained, but Australia also pressed higher, drove between the lines, and attempted to play their way out of trouble.
"It's something that we worked on throughout the whole camp," Okon-Engstler said. "We wanted to be more aggressive with the ball and to be a bit more controlling through those stages of the game. I think there's a lot of confidence to take out of these two games and the way we played."
Okon-Engstler emblematic of evolution
Okon-Engstler, 21, was one of the Socceroos' most impressive players across the series. His ability to operate in tight spaces and break lines represents the type of midfielder needed to build on these performances. Since the World Cup, he has traded Sydney FC for 1. FC Köln in the Bundesliga, a challenge Popovic wants his players to embrace.
"When [Okon-Engstler] physicality comes out even more, I think it's going to be quite frightening," Jackson Irvine said. "I've played with quite a few players in those areas over the last few years, and he's a talent."
Okon-Engstler only debuted last November. The 12 months of experimentation Popovic undertook after securing qualification was framed around the World Cup, but its effects will reach far beyond. Those wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June 2025 could prove defining, as without them, this crop might not have had their chance to break in, go to a World Cup, and take the next step.
Alongside Alessandro Circati and Jordan Bos, who debuted under Graham Arnold, the Socceroos now have a contingent of youth that former coach Frank Farina described as a "new golden generation". The Australian public has embraced them, with stadiums selling out and thousands of kids attending open training sessions. The journey, it seems, could just be getting started.
