TEAM GUIDES — GROUP D: Hosts US in tough battle to qualify from tricky group

Group D features the US, who are co-hosts and under pressure to deliver on home soil. Australia are not quite the force they once were, while Turkey and Paraguay might be the group favourites.

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AustraliaThe planThe Socceroos are stepping into the unknown as much as any side with a new crop of eye-catching attacking talents playing alongside a more experienced midfield and defensive core. Qualification for a sixth consecutive World Cup was sealed without needing to tread carefully through the playoffs for the first time since 2014, but only after a change of direction when Tony Popovic replaced Graham Arnold as coach.

The renowned disciplinarian demanded a greater physical intensity and defensive zeal across all areas of the field, with results quickly improving and building into an eight-match unbeaten run that locked in a World Cup spot. The Socceroos have since suffered from mixed fortunes as Popovic has cast the net wider to give opportunities to fringe players and the next generation.

The side has become better organised defensively with three centre-backs, two wing-backs and a pair of battle-hardened midfielders, a common set-up especially in first halves when Popovic likes to keep the contest tight. The emergence of young forwards Nestory Irankunda and Mohamed Touré – and Jordan Bos on a wing – adds a spark to the lineup and can be especially threatening on a counter-attack late in games.

After reaching the Last 16 for just the second time in their history in 2022, the hope is that the Socceroos can break through to win a first knockout game this time around. It will be easier said than done while starting in an evenly-matched group but, as is his way, Popovic has insisted the side is up to the challenge.

“We’re always deemed as the underdog or the team that will be fighting for the bottom spot, and we have an opportunity through our actions and our performances and results to show that that can be different,” the Socceroos coach said in early May.

Tony Popovic coaches like he played as a hard-nosed defender across 58 matches for the Socceroos, including as part of the renowned 2006 World Cup squad.

The 52-year-old values substance over style, but finds a way to make it work with a coaching record that includes two A-League premierships and an Asian Champions League crown.

Popovic quickly put his fingerprints all over the Socceroos when taking charge in September 2024, with their World Cup qualification hopes floundering. His steely determination and the side’s newfound sha