Graham Arnold Challenges Australian Players To Break Record 11 Leading Wins In World Cup Qualifiers

Australian players are challenged to win 11 matches in World Cup qualifiers (photo: x @soceroos)

JAKARTA - Australia's national team coach, Graham Arnold, challenged his players to surpass a record 11 consecutive wins in World Cup qualifiers to make their way to the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Australia destroyed Palestine with a score of 5-0 in Perth on Tuesday, June 11 and completed the second phase of Asian qualification with a perfect record of 6 wins. Socceroos recorded 11 consecutive wins during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Qatar, but struggled in the third phase and had to win two playoffs to reach the world tournament.

The last playoffs saw Australia qualify with a tense penalty shootout win against Peru, something Graham doesn't want to happen again. "When we went through the last campaign, we won the first 11 games," Arnold told reporters.

"It was another target I set for the players to achieve something special - winning more than 11 games in a row. I always had high expectations and I pushed that high expectations to the players, and I don't want to go through games like against Peru anymore. That's the last thing I want," said Arnold.

Australia reached the last 16 in Qatar and won two World Cup games for the first time, but Arnold said that Socceroos should aim higher for 2026 and have players who can make it happen.

"(Alessandro) Circati is outstanding against Palestine, and he is so mature for his 20s," Arnold said of the Italian-born defender. "Next year he will play in Serie A in Italy against some great strikers, so he will get better."

ungy Irankunda, an 18-year-old winger who will join Bayern Munich, scored his first international goal after coming on as a substitute in the second half against Palestine in his second appearance with Socceroos.

Arnold said Irankunda had shown maturity since the U-17 Asian Cup in Indonesia last year when he was "undisciplined as he should have been."

"I had a serious conversation with him a few days ago about going to Bayern and what that meant," Arnold added. "This doesn't mean because you've gone to Bayern, it's all over. It's all about hard work, passion and encouragement. It's an interesting talent, but it's still a long way to go."

The draw for the third round of the 2026 Asian Zone World Cup Qualification will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, June 27, 2024. It is not impossible that Australia will be in the same group as Indonesia in that round.

Schedule For The Third Round Of Asian Zone 2026 World Cup Qualification

Match 1: September 5, 2024

Match 2: September 10, 2024

Match 3: October 10, 2024

Match 4: 15 October 2024

Match 5: November 14, 2024

Match 6: 19 November 2024

Match 7: 20 March 2025

Match 8: March 25, 2025

Match 9: 19 June 2025

Matches 10: June 24, 2025