Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has boldly declared rivals will receive a “rude shock” if they underestimate Australia at next year’s World Cup.
The veteran tactician’s comments came as the Aussies drew a favourable Group D in the early hours of Saturday morning, with FIFA confirming groups for the revered 2026 tournament in Washington DC.
The 26th-ranked Socceroos, who were good enough to notch a Pot 2 berth, will compete against the host nation United States (14th-ranked), Paraguay (39th), and one of Turkey (25th), Romania (47th), Slovakia (45th) or Kosovo (80th) — depending on which prevails in the play-offs.
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It’s a win for Australia, which fortunately didn’t land alongside a European or South American giant and instead will come away thinking each opponent is truly beatable.
It won’t be known until March which of Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo will join Australia in Group D.
“Whoever gets through will earn it because they need to play a semi-final and final, so they will be a worthy opponent,” Popovic said on location after the draw.
“We’ll have less time to prepare for them, but certainly enough time to be ready and to know our opponent in detail.”
But regardless of who Australia’s third opponent is, Popovic, who has managed the Socceroos since September of last year, said his side won’t go away from its strengths.
“I think all those teams that we are up against will play differently; we can’t go away from our strengths,” he said.
“We know what we’re strong at, we have exciting players, they like to go forward with pace and power.
“There’s obviously areas we have to … I wouldn’t say improve, but just get a little bit better, having longer possession and knowing when we are under pressure can we get out of that pressure. That’s something that is a constant that we have to work on.”
But while Popovic wasn’t shy to highlight key improvement points for his squad, he also warned rivals that Australia shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“The best sides always really defend really well and that is something we have to keep evolving,” he said.
“Every part of our game will have to go to another level; anyone that underestimates us will get a rude shock when it comes to those group games.”