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The Socceroos are set to face their biggest challenge yet on the road to the World Cup, with the third round of AFC qualifiers scheduled to get underway next month.
Australia were flawless in the previous round, winning all eight of matches to top their group.
However, the competition now steps up a notch with the Aussies drawn in Group B against some of Asia’s best sides including Japan, Saudi Arabia, China, Oman and Vietnam.
After taking charge of Australia’s Olympic campaign in Tokyo, Graham Arnold returns to Socceroos duty and will be hoping some of his young Olyroos stars can step up and contribute for the senior national team as they push for World Cup qualification.
Arnold will have his work cut out for him over the next six months as he attempts to guide Australia to their fifth straight FIFA World Cup.
COVID chaos
The Socceroos' chances of playing their home games in Australia were always going to be a complicated situation due to strict border restrictions down under.
Australia were scheduled to host China at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney on September 2, however that match will now take place abroad, most likely in the Middle East, after Football Australia's negotiations with the federal government were unable to broker quarantine exemptions.
Two more home games are scheduled for 2021 - against Oman in October and Saudi Arabia in November - which will likely also take place off Aussie shores.
To avoid the Socceroos playing in neutral venues, Football Australia had been in talks with the government about possible quarantine exemptions for both teams to train and stay in bubbles as well as other safety measures.
However, with these discussions essentially stalled, the Socceroos will need to be ready for the possibility that the road to the World Cup won't feature any more matches on home soil.
The Socceroos have an enviable record in front of their own fans, losing just once in qualifying matches in Australia since 2006.
Their last match in Australia was a win against Nepal in October 2019.
Familiar foes
You could be excused for having a feeling of Déjà vu when looking at the Socceroos' Group B rivals going into the third round of AFC qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar.
Once again Australia will go up against rivals Japan, making it the fourth time the two nations have been pitted against each other in World Cup qualifying, while they have also been paired with 2018 qualifying opponents Saudi Arabia.
In qualification for the Russia 2018, the Socceroos were forced to qualify via the arduous play-off, after finishing third behind Japan and Saudi Arabia.
It meant a two-legged home-and-away series against both Syria and Honduras for the Aussies, who did enough to book their ticket to Russia.
This time around, Arnold will be determined to secure their ticket to Qatar without needing to go the play-off route, meaning a top two finish in the group is vital.
Japan and Saudi Arabia remain two of the best teams in the Asian confederation and will not make things easy for Arnold and the Socceroos.
“Both groups are strong but all we can do is focus on ourselves. .. and make sure we get ourselves ready for whoever we play and whenever we play,” Socceroos coach Arnold said after the draw was announced last month.
“Obviously when you get to this stage of the World Cup qualifiers, every game is going to be tough, but the fact that we have got a mixture of Middle East nations, as well as East Asian nations, is great.
“We have been to those places before, so it won’t throw up any surprises to us. Overall, I feel that it is a very good draw for us.”
In the second round of qualifying, Japan was the only nation other than Australia to finish with a flawless record of eight wins from as many matches.
The Samurai Blue scored an incredible 46 goals and conceded only two on their way to topping the group.
Saudi Arabia also topped their group with six wins, but dropped points in draws against Yemen and Palestine.
The Aussies will similarly need to be at their best against other Group B opponents Oman, China and Vietnam with all three of those sides capable of causing a shock or two.
Generation next
Graham Arnold has put his faith in the Socceroos' next generation of stars and believes they could be the difference in this final stage of World Cup qualification.
So much so that he put his hand up to take charge of the Olyroos' Olympic campaign for Tokyo in the hope it would help bridge the gap between the Socceroos and the next batch of rising stars.
“I decided to take the Olympic team on when it wasn’t my job and honestly I’m here as a volunteer," Arnold said.
"I am here to help the kids and the game. I truly believe the strength of the Socceroos is linked to the juniors ... after two years of hard work into this Olympic team, we are getting there.
“When I took this over, I reflected on the old days and that 'golden generation' that everyone wants to talk about was (because) they had one coach for both teams and that was Eddie Thomson.
"He coached the Socceroos and Olyroos and built the same culture within the two teams, same messaging. When the young kids came in to play for the Socceroos, they didn’t feel inferior at all, they knew they belonged.
“So after this Olympics, I see that five or six players will be stepping up into the Socceroos.”
One rising star who has played a vital role for the Socceroos already is defender Harry Souttar.
The centre-back has delivered at both ends of the pitch for the national team, with his towering height and physicality creating numerous headaches for the opposition.
Playing for Stoke City in England’s Championship, the 22-year-old could be set to partner Trent Sainsbury in the middle of the Australian defence throughout the next stage of qualifying.
The integration of young players such as Souttar to the starting line-up will be key to Australia's success as the veterans of the team reach the back-end of their careers.
Upcoming Socceroos World Cup qualifiers
Australia v China
September 2 - Venue: TBC
Vietnam v Australia
September 7 - Venue: TBC
Australia v Oman
October 7 - Venue: YBC
Japan v Australia
October 12 - Venue: TBC
Australia v Saudi Arabia
November 11 - Venue: TBC
China v Australia
November 16 - Venue: TBC
Australia v Vietnam
January 27 - Venue: TBC
Oman v Australia
February 1 - Venue: TBC
Australia v Japan
March 24 - Venue: TBC
Saudi Arabia v Australia
March 29 - Venue: TBC
