The Socceroos’ highway to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been made a fraction simpler after Lebanon agreed to shift their dwelling qualifier later this month to Canberra, which means Graham Arnold’s males will play on Australian soil twice in six days.
Lebanon had been compelled to maneuver their final World Cup qualifier to a impartial location as a result of ongoing instability within the area attributable to the Israel-Hamas battle, and have been directed to take action once more by the Asian Soccer Confederation, electing to play at GIO Stadium after discussions with the ACT authorities and Soccer Australia, who’re helping the Lebanese Soccer Affiliation with the supply of the fixture.
The match shall be performed on a Tuesday evening, 5 days after Australia hosts Lebanon at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta on Thursday, March 21.
If the Socceroos win each video games, as they’re closely favoured to do, they are going to lock of their spot within the third spherical of World Cup qualification with two video games to spare.
“I believe it’s unbelievable we’ve been in a position to help a member of our confederation who’s dealing with difficult occasions,” Arnold stated. “All through my time as head coach, we’ve had restricted alternatives to play in entrance of dwelling crowds, so to have two matches on this window in Australia is extraordinarily pleasing.”
The Socceroos haven’t performed since their shattering exit within the Asian Cup quarter-finals towards South Korea in early February, when a 96th-minute penalty after which a stroke of genius by Son Heung-min in further time knocked them out of the event in a 2-1 defeat.
Graham Arnold’s Socceroos are coming dwelling.Credit score: Getty
Not since October 2019, in one in every of Arnold’s first video games in his second stint as coach, have the Socceroos travelled to Canberra – and never because the 1986 World Cup qualifying marketing campaign, after they took on Chinese language Taipei in Adelaide, have they been the designated ‘away’ workforce in a match performed in Australia.
Whereas tickets are promoting strongly for the conflict at CommBank Stadium, the late announcement of the second conflict and FA’s restricted involvement will make it tough to draw a robust crowd in Canberra, regardless of the capital being starved of worldwide soccer lately.