The Socceroos have discovered their 2026 World Cup fate with their path to the knockout stages becoming clear. FIFA has locked in the venues and dates for Australia’s three group stage matches for next year’s tournament hosted in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
On Saturday morning (AEST) Australia was drawn in Group D along with USA, Paraguay and the winner of UEFA Play-Off C, which could be Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo. Now they have learnt they will face the winner of UEFA Play-Off C in Vancouver for their opening game at 2:00pm AEST on Sunday, June 14.
In their second match, the Socceroos will take on the USA in Seattle with a 5:00am AEST kick-off on Friday, June 19. Their final group match will come against Paraguay at 12:00pm AEST on Thursday, June 25.
“We have been preparing for many months, but now we can plan with certainty, knowing our match schedule and kick-off times for the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Socceroos coach Tony Popovic said. “We will have a tough group regardless of who qualifies from UEFA, but we will go in with a lot of optimism and confidence. We know many Australian fans are planning on travelling, and we look forward to having strong support from them.”
