Group D : Australia Socceroos Yearning For Glory

Australia secured a World Cup spot for Qatar 2022 by the thinnest of margins as they overcame Peru 6-5 in a penalty shoot-out to qualify. Australia failed to qualify automatically, requiring the team to negotiate two sudden-death playoffs against UAE and Peru in order to reach the Qatar 2022 tournament. In the first match, Australia had a thrilling 2-1 win against the UAE. In the final qualifying match, Australia had the best of pre-game favourites Peru, but the teams finished extra time locked at nil all. The Socceroos are in group D along with France, Denmark and Tunisia. The group is seen as a complicated group with the reigning world champions, the semi-finalists of the last Euro and the quarter-finalists of the last CAN. Australia's group equally features two familiar opponents: Denmark and reigning champions France, both of whom they were drawn against in 2018.
Australia will play their first group game on November 22, 2022 against France. The Australians have not passed the group stage since 2006. At that time, they lost in the round of 16 against Italy, future world champions. After 16 years they will try again to qualify for the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup. As the 2022 World Cup draws closer, Australia have released a collective statement against Qatar's human rights record, becoming the first 2022 World Cup team to do so. Football Australia also released a statement saying the "suffering" felt by workers and their families ...