Sydney, Oct 4 (IANS): Midfielder Massimo Luongo came out of retirement to join Tony Popovic's extended 26-man squad, released on Friday, for Australia’s AFC Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup against China and Japan.
The qualifiers will be Popovic’s first in charge of the senior men’s national team, as Australia take on China at Adelaide Oval October 10 and will play against Japan at Saitama Stadium in Tokyo on October 15.
"Luongo of Ipswich Town FC has made himself available for selection, following his retirement from international football in late-2023. The midfielder was instrumental in Ipswich’s promotion into the English Premier League and will now re-join the national team for the remainder of this qualification cycle," Football Australia said in a release.
Melbourne Victory FC's Nishan Velupillay has been awarded his first call up to the senior national team and will be joined by club teammates, Daniel Arzani and Jason Geria, who return to the Socceroos’ set up eight years on from earning his first international cap.
Thomas Deng, Joe Gauci, Craig Goodwin, Nestory Irankunda, Paul Izzo, Riley McGree, and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos have all earned selection.
Ajdin Hrustic has been named following a recent move to the Serie B, along with Gianni Stensness, who has successfully returned from an ACL injury, while Jordy Bos has recovered from a minor hamstring injury that ruled him out of the September FIFA men’s international window.
Popovic said he was looking forward to working with the squad on their arrival in Adelaide. "We're at the beginning of an exciting journey, and it's an honour to lead this group of players. I'm eager to welcome both the players and new staff into camp as we come together for the first time.
"This October window offers a great opportunity to showcase a vast improvement, both in our desire and in the quality of our play. This time in camp will be crucial as we lay the foundations that will not only help us succeed in this window but set the tone for our future ambitions,” Popovic added.
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.
Australia squad-
Goalkeepers: Mat Ryan, Joe Gauci, Paul Izzo.
Defenders: Aziz Behich, Jordan Bos, Cameron Burgess, Thomas Deng, Jason Geria,
Lewis Miller, Kye Rowles, Harry Souttar, Gianni Stensness.
Midfielders: Keanu Baccus, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Massimo Luongo, Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Aiden O'Neill.
Forwards: Daniel Arzani, Mitchell Duke, Craig Goodwin, Nestory Irankunda, Sam Silvera, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Nishan Velupillay.