Subway Socceroos’ Head Coach, Tony Popovic has named an extended 26-man squad ahead of Australia’s AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 fixtures against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The November FIFA Men’s International Window will see Australia take on Saudi Arabia at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Victoria on Thursday, 14 November (kick-off 8.00pm AEDT) and Bahrain at the Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa on Tuesday, 19 November (9.15pm local/5.15am AEDT – Wednesday, 20 November).
Four matches into their Round Three campaign, Australia currently sits second in Group C on five points following their victory over China PR at Adelaide Oval and a draw on the road to Japan at Saitama Stadium 2002 during October.
Max Balard (NAC Breda) earns his first senior national team call up, rewarded for his strong form in the Eredivisie since arriving in the Netherlands during the off-season. Sydney FC’s Hayden Matthews also joins the Subway Socceroos for the first time, and will do so alongside club teammates, Anthony Caceres and Rhyan Grant.
The Isuzu UTE A-League Men is also represented through Melbourne Victory FC’s Jason Geria and Nishan Velupillay and the returning Brandon Borrello (Western Sydney Wanderers FC).
Milos Degenek (FK Crvena zvezda) re-joins the Subway Socceroos for the first time since October 2023, following an extended stint on the sideline with injury. Martin Boyle (Hibernian FC) returns following his successful recovery from wrist surgery, while Kusini Yengi (Portsmouth FC) has been named after missing the last FIFA Men’s International Window.
Aiden O’Neill (Standard de Liège) and Jordy Bos (K.V.C Westerlo) will make the trip to Melbourne from Belgium, as they continue to impress in the Pro League. Cameron Burgess (Ipswich Town FC) arrives in camp fresh off a Premier League debut, joined by Riley McGree (Middlesbrough FC) and Harry Souttar (Sheffield United).
Subway Socceroos’ Head Coach, Tony Popovic said the camp presented a new opportunity to build on his squad’s efforts in October.
“We’re in the early stages of this journey as a group and we’ll continue to implement the style of play that will be the foundation of our success throughout this cycle,” Popovic said.
“It’s an important series of fixtures and we’re looking forward to finishing off the year on the right note, and equally, putting on a strong performance for the people of Melbourne who have shown us such great support in recent years,” Popovic concluded.
Scheduled to be played from September 2024 to June 2025, the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 will feature three groups of six teams playing in a home-and-away, round-robin format, offering direct qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ for the top two finishers of each group.
To find out all the latest information on fixtures, results and Third Round Qualification updates please click here.
The Subway Socceroos FIFA World Cup 2026™ Qualifiers will be broadcast live thanks to Football Australia’s broadcast partner, Paramount Australia.
Match Details
Subway Socceroos v Saudi Arabia
Thursday, 14 November 2024
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
Kick-off: 8:00pm AEDT
Broadcast: 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
Bahrain v Subway Socceroos
Tuesday 19 November 2024
Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa
Kick-off: 9.15pm local (5.15am AEDT – Wednesday, 20 November)
Broadcast: Paramount+
SUBWAY SOCCEROOS’ SQUAD l NOVEMBER FIFA MEN’S INTERNATIONAL WINDOW
| Name | Current Club, Country | ‘A’ Caps (Goals | Junior Club (Member Federation/Country) |
| Max BALARD | NAC Breda, Netherlands | 0 | Maccabi Hokoah FC / Football NSW |
| Aziz BEHICH | Melbourne City FC, Australia | 75 (2) | Meadow Park SC / Football VIC |
| Brandon BORRELLO | Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia | 11 (2) | Modbury Jets SC / Football SA |
| Jordy BOS | K.V.C Westerlo, Belgium | 17 (1) | Hoppers Crossing SC / Football VIC |
| Martin BOYLE | Hibernian FC, Scotland | 30 (9) | Lewis United FC / Montrose FC (Scotland) |
| Cameron BURGESS | Ipswich Town FC, England | 11 (0) | ECU Joondalup / Football West |
| Anthony CACERES | Sydney FC, Australia | 0 | Marconi Stallions / Football NSW |
| Milos DEGENEK | FK Crvena zvezda, Serbia | 45 (1) | Blacktown City FC / Football NSW |
| Mitchell DUKE | FC Machida Zelvia, Japan | 44 (12) | Liverpool Rangers SC / Football NSW |
| Joe GAUCI (Gk) | Aston Villa FC, England | 4 (0) | Cumberland United FC / Football SA |
| Jason GERIA | Melbourne Victory FC, Australia | 3 (0) | Weston Molonglo Football Club / Capital Football |
| Craig GOODWIN | Al Wehda FC, Saudi Arabia | 29 (6) | Munno Para City FC / Football SA |
| Rhyan GRANT | Sydney FC, Australia | 21 (1) | Canowindra Juniors / Football NSW |
| Ajdin HRUSTIC | U.S. Salernitana 1919, Italy | 29 (3) | Heatherton United SC / Football VIC |
| Jackson IRVINE | FC St Pauli, Germany | 74 (11) | Ringwood City SC / Football VIC |
| Paul IZZO (Gk) | Randers FC, Denmark | 0 | Campbelltown City SC / Football SA |
| Hayden MATTHEWS | Sydney FC, Australia | 0 | Sydney FC Academy / Football NSW |
| Riley McGREE | Middlesbrough FC, England | 27 (1) | Gawler Eagles FC / Football SA |
| Lewis MILLER | Hibernian FC, Scotland | 8 (1) | Pittwater RSL FC / Football NSW |
| Aiden O’NEILL | Standard de Liège, Belgium | 15 (0) | University of Queensland Football Club / Football QLD |
| Kye ROWLES | Heart of Midlothian FC, Scotland | 24 (1) | Palm Beach SC / Football QLD |
| Mat RYAN | AS Roma, Italy | 95 (0) | Blacktown City FC / Football NSW |
| Harry SOUTTAR | Sheffield United FC, England | 34 (11) | Brechin City Boys Club (Scotland) |
| Nishan VELUPILLAY | Melbourne Victory FC, Australia | 2 (1) | Endeavour United SC / Football VIC |
| Patrick YAZBEK | Nashville SC, United States | 2 (0) | Austral Soccer Club / Football NSW |
| Kusini YENGI | Portsmouth FC, England | 9 (4) | Fulham United FC / Football SA |
