Aiden O’Neill: We’re taking the next step ahead of the World Cup

2 min read 3 September 2025

CommBank Socceroos midfielder Aiden O’Neill said that the group was ready to take the next step after qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ and be a team that can compete with the best in the world.

He also spoke about his time at New York City FC in Major League Soccer ahead of the United States being one of three nations to host the World Cup next year.

Fresh faces

It's really exciting to have quite a few new boys in the camp. They get to experience and show themselves in the next two games.

I remember my first time coming in, and how proud I was and how excited I was for the opportunity. You can see that in their eyes. It’s really good to see.

Continuing momentum

We did an excellent job qualifying for the World Cup. Now, it's the next step in making sure we're fully prepared going in there, and not just going to participate in the World Cup, but with the mindset of really trying to do something.

Playing in the United States before the World Cup

I’ve felt like, over the last month or so, I've really settled in New York and I’m starting to play some good football.

I'm a Brissy [Brisbane] boy, so I'm used to the heat. But in New York, some of the games we were playing, it was really hot, so that took a little bit of time. It might be tough for a few teams at the World Cup to adjust to that heat.

That's [the heat] something that us Aussies are used to anyway, but that will play a part in the World Cup. Being able to acclimatise quickly to that [will be important].

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Mentality to succeed

He's [Head Coach Tony Popovic] picking players that are performing at a high level, and coming in here and being able to perform at your best and show that you deserve to be here.

Building excitement

Especially after the Club World Cup, I think everyone's really excited for the World Cup. A lot of people are talking about it. It’s going to be really exciting.