The Subway Socceroos face Bahrain to begin their FIFA World Cup 2026™ Third Round Asian Qualifiers at Robina Stadium on the Gold Coast on Thursday at 8:00pm (AEST).

The Socceroos are on the Gold Coast for the first time as Australia’s Round Three campaign kicks off against Bahrain at Robina Stadium on Thursday, 5 September 2024 (kick-off 8:00pm AEST).

Graham Arnold’s side blitzed the Second Round Qualifiers, finishing top while netting 22 goals without conceding. Now, they carry that perfect record into Group C, where familiar rivals like Japan and Saudi Arabia lie in wait on the road to Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026.

Australia has been placed in Group C alongside Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China PR, and Indonesia. This marks the third consecutive time the Socceroos will face Japan and Saudi Arabia at this stage of the Qualifiers.

But first, the Socceroos host Bahrain on the Gold Coast on Thursday, before travelling to near neighbours Indonesia on September 10.

Bahrain secured second place in their group during the Second Round Qualifiers, finishing behind the United Arab Emirates with 11 points.

The Socceroos have a flawless record against Bahrain having won all six matches against the Persian Gulf nation. However, the Reds come into this Gold Coast match on a four-game unbeaten streak following back-to-back draws, with their last victory dating back to March against Nepal.

This will be the second clash between Australia and Bahrain this year, with Arnold’s side having previously faced the Pearl Divers during their Asian Cup preparations when the Green and Gold claimed a 2-0 victory in the friendly.

Before that, the two teams last faced off in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011.

Arnold has been boosted by seven players returning to the fray who were absent from the most recent June camp and some slightly longer.

Captain Maty Ryan makes a welcome return to the squad after resting with a minor injury in June. The 32-year-old gloveman also completed a transfer to Serie A giants AS Roma over the off-season.

Craig Goodwin is back for the first time since March and has hit the ground running in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Wehda after injury cut short his campaign last season. The 32-year-old scored a double in his last outing for his country and has enjoyed a prolific year in Green and Gold, recording four goals and two assists in five appearances. 

Lewis Miller and Aiden O’Neill also return to the squad after missing out last time due to injuries while Sam Silvera has been recalled by Arnold having last appeared for the National Team back in March. However, Arnold revealed Miller will be ruled out for the Bahrain match due to a minor knee issue.

An impressive season in the J1 League for Albirex Niigata has earned Thomas Deng another Socceroos selection alongside Awer Mabil, who also returns to camp after a strong start to the season for Swiss side Grasshoppers.

Goalkeeper Paul Izzo is the only player in the squad currently without a Socceroos cap. 

Scheduled to be played from September 2024 to June 2025, the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 will feature three groups of six teams playing in a home-and-away, round-robin format, offering direct qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ for the top two finishers of each group.

FIFA World Rankings

Australia: 24th
Bahrain: 80th

Head-to-Head

Played: 6
Wins: 6
Draws: 0
Losses: 0

Insights

• The Socceroos are undefeated in the 2026 World Cup AFC Qualifiers, having picked up four wins in the second round without conceding a single goal.
• In 2024, the Socceroos have kept clean sheets in eight of their 10 matches, conceding just three times across the year.
• In the last 365 days, the Socceroos have scored 37 goals, while conceding six across their 15 games.
• Craig Goodwin has scored two goals and one assist in just two matches, beginning his season with Al-Wehda in style. 
• Lewis Miller has been a standout for Hibernian in his first four matches of the 2024/25 campaign, averaging 2.16 successful dribbles per match, 2.96 long balls per game and 11.05 duels won per 90 with a duels won percentage of 65.1%.
• Bahrain are currently on a four-game unbeaten run (two draws, two wins).
• Australia form guide: W-W-W-W-L 
• Bahrain form guide: D-D-W-W-L

Graham Arnold

“Rectangle stadium, fantastic and a full house is even better 12th man for us. I know the boys are excited to get on the pitch and play, and I’m excited to see them get on the pitch and play. 

“The energy the boys come into camp with is so far, it’s been fantastic. It’s just like a family that catches up together and they all get on so well and that’s very important.

“We’ve got, what I believe, some real good attacking quality. That’s why I went with extra wingers this camp. I think that that’ll be crucial the wingers and the one v one actions, and go for it. It’s what it’s all about.”

Mitch Duke

“They’re a very physical team, and they’re very compact defensively. So we’re going to be well prepared, we know what to expect, and we know if we can just focus on our strengths as well, we can beat anyone on our day.

“We saw the incredible reaction from the fans back home and the whole nation, how well we did at the last World Cup. And that’s amazing motivation for some of these players in the playing group who haven’t experienced that, but they’ve seen the buzz, and that’s motivation for them to make sure that they continue to do well and be a part of, something special, and that starts tomorrow.”

Kye Rowles

“It’s pretty amazing to be where I am today. But yeah, honoured and humbled. Obviously, a massive privilege to play for your country and to do it for the first time on the Gold Coast is speechless.

“They’ll come out full throttle, and it’ll be a physical game. So if we match them in that aspect, then I think we’ve got a good chance, but we’ve just got to focus on ourselves and playing to the best of our ability, and hopefully the result takes care of itself.”  

Aiden O’Neill

“This will be the first game here in Queensland for me which is really exciting. Waking up this morning and seeing the blue skies and went for a walk and grabbed a coffee this morning, it was gorgeous.

I think it’s brilliant, we’re playing in all different states and different stadiums and bringing the whole country together to support football.

“It’s always tough when you’re injured and you miss out on selection. Being here is so special, and we have such a special group of boys, and we enjoy coming into camp so much. So to be back apart of it is very exciting and special.”

Awer Mabil

“Yeah, it’s amazing to be back with the boys. I’ve missed it a lot but I’ve been following the boys and it makes me happy to see what they have been doing. I’m just happy to be back here and enjoying the time.

“The group is interesting. We always get Saudi and Japan but for us, we just focus on ourselves. Qualifying for the last World Cup was a little bit stressful but we always find a way to do it. Our biggest target now is to do it directly. That’s what we focus on, we don’t care about the opponent.” 

Craig Goodwin

“Really happy (to be here). I think we’ve seen from the game in Canberra. It’s been nice to hit different parts of Australia and you know, this is the first time we’ve ever played on the Gold Coast as Socceroos. So it’s going to be fantastic to have a packed out crowd.

“It’s about taking it game by game and this is a perfect start. I think, for us playing our first game on home soil, in front of our fans. It’s World Cup qualifying, so the motivation is there. The atmosphere is going to be great and I think it’s going to be a very good first game.”

Match Details

Subway Socceroos v Bahrain
Thursday, 5 September 2024
Robina Stadium, Gold Coast
Kick-off: 8:00pm AEST
Tickets: Start from $15 Child, $20 Concession, $29 Adult, and $58 Family. Tickets from Ticketmaster.
Broadcast: 10, 10 Play and Paramount+

What’s next?

Indonesia v Subway Socceroos
Tuesday 10 September 2024 
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta
Kick-off: 7.00pm local / 10.00pm AEST
Broadcast: Paramount+