Australia's 2026 World Cup Squad Guide

Australia is in a sixth-consecutive men's World Cup, but this one looks a lot different to when the Socceroos golden generation made it to the knockout rounds in 2006, or the Qatar World Cup of 2022. It's a 48-team tournament, being staged across the USA, Canada, and Mexico, with Australia drawing a host nation for the first time since the 1974 edition. The first match of the tournament gets underway at 5am on Friday (AEST) between Mexico and South Africa, while Australia plays its first match on Sunday at 2pm. ABC Sport will be live blogging every match of the tournament. Coach Tony Popovic has unveiled the 26 players selected to take on Türkiye, the USA, and Paraguay, and perhaps beyond. Mat Ryan and Mathew Leckie will head to a record-equalling fourth World Cup, joining Tim Cahill and Mark Milligan as the only other Australian men to achieve the feat. 18-year-old Lucas Herrington has capped off a meteoric rise over the past few months to head to his first, alongside Cristian Volpato, who only switched allegiance from Italy days before the squad was announced. Here's your complete guide to these players, and the rest, tasked with taking Australia deep into the expanded tournament. Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders