Under-strength squad named amid player safety concerns for November friendlies in Doha and Amman
AI-generated summary
The Socceroos friendlies against Qatar and Jordan were initially meant to serve as preparation for the Asian Cup, which has been pushed back from January to December 2027 due to security concerns in host country Saudi Arabia. Professional Footballers Australia said players had overwhelmingly expressed their view that the Jordan match should be rescheduled or relocated. Indonesia recently cancelled its own planned friendly in Jordan.
Football Australia will continue to assess security ahead of the Socceroos' planned friendly against Jordan, with an under-strength squad named amid player concerns over safety.
Tony Popovic's squad was revealed at 10:30pm on Saturday night for upcoming friendlies against Qatar in Doha on November 13 (November 14 AEDT) and Jordan in Amman three days later.
The friendlies were initially meant to serve as preparation for the Asian Cup which has since been pushed back from January to December 2027 due to security concerns in host country Saudi Arabia.
Professional Footballers Australia (the PFA) on Friday said players had "overwhelmingly expressed their view that the Jordan match should be rescheduled or relocated".
Captain Maty Ryan and fellow veterans Jackson Irvine and Milos Degenek, plus midfielder Aiden O'Neill, are the most prominent omissions from coach Tony Popovic's squad, which includes seven uncapped players.
It is unclear whether those players made themselves unavailable for safety reasons.
As yet, there has been no movement on the Amman fixture, despite Indonesia recently cancelling their own planned friendly in Jordan.
"For the match against Jordan, we will continue to assess the security environment and provide players and staff with timely, comprehensive updates, including relevant safety advice and risk assessments," FA chief executive Martin Kugeler said.
"The safety and wellbeing of our players and staff remains our highest priority."
There are eight changes to the squad from September's friendlies against Brazil in Australia.
New call-ups are Central Coast defender Diesel Herrington, older brother of Hull City ace Lucas Herrington, Portsmouth striker Thomas Waddingham and FC St. Pauli midfielder Sam Klein.
Attacker Daniel Arzani returns after finding form at Ferencvaros, along with defender Gianni Stensness (Viking FK), who scored against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Striker Kusini Yengi joins brother Tete, while goalkeepers Joe Gauci (Lincoln City) and Tom Glover (RB Omiya Ardija) have been recalled.
"While the Asian Cup has been rescheduled, that does not take away from the importance of this window," Popovic said in a statement.
"We have limited opportunities to be together as a group, so every camp and every game is important.
"We will have an eye on continuing to evolve the squad for the future, with our World Cup 2030 qualifying campaign and the Asian Cup both now in the second half of 2027.
"This camp gives us another chance to work with new players and see how they fit into what we are building."
Socceroos Squad
Goalkeepers: Patrick Beach, Joe Gauci, Tom Glover*
Defenders: Kealey Adamson*, Aziz Behich, Kasey Bos*, Alessandro Circati, Jason Geria, Diesel Herrington*, Lucas Herrington, Jacob Italiano, Harry Souttar
Midfielders: Sam Klein*, Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Paul Okon-Engstler, Gianni Stensness, Patrick Yazbek
Forwards: Eli Adams*, Daniel Arzani, Nestory Irankunda, Thomas Waddingham*, Kusini Yengi, Tete Yengi, Marcus Younis
(* denotes uncapped player)
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Football Australia will continue assessing the security environment and may reschedule or relocate the Jordan match
Possible · Within days
Notts County beat Altrincham on penalties in an FA Cup first-round tie played in heavy fog at Moss Lane, with commentators unable to see the pitch and fans left to guess the outcome through the gloom.
Australian swimmer Moesha Johnson won both the 10km and 3km elimination races at the Open Water Swimming World Cup in Cancún, Mexico, extending her dominance from the 2025/26 season into the 2026/27 campaign.
Oscar Piastri will start 10th at the São Paulo Grand Prix after qualifying 12th fastest in a chaotic wet session at Interlagos, promoted by grid penalties to rivals. Teammate Lando Norris takes pole for the second consecutive year, while Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton start from the back row.
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson says Australia will test England's reported lack of unity at Twickenham, backing Rob Valetini's bench role as an X-factor while emphasizing his own team's cohesion ahead of Sunday's Nations Championship Test.
Usman Khawaja claims the entire Australian Test XI knew about the 2018 sandpaper ball-tampering plot, contradicting the official investigation that found only David Warner, Steve Smith, and Cameron Bancroft were aware. Bancroft scored 32 runs for Western Australia against England after the comments, with coach Beau Casson praising his maturity.
New Zealand defeated Tonga 34-10 in the Rugby League World Cup semifinal in Newcastle, advancing to face Samoa or Australia in the final. Kalyn Ponga, returning from a broken arm, starred with three try assists and defensive plays as the Kiwis overcame windy conditions and Tonga's early pressure.