Arzani: Being involved in World Cup qualification process is "special"

Subway Socceroo Daniel Arzani said that the potential to be involved in his second FIFA World Cup would be even more special than his first.
 

Arzani was speaking to media from Australia's training base in Jeddah, where the team arrived on Sunday to commence preparations for their final FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualifier against Saudi Arabia.

If the Socceroos avoid defeat by five goals or more, they will qualify for the World Cup next year.

Conditions in Saudi Arabia

We've had no issues, to be honest. Everything's been good. The training pitches so far have been good.

It's very hot. But the boys that weren't involved in the [A-League] final series acclimatised beforehand for two weeks in Abu Dhabi, and we've been doing a lot of stuff off the field with sauna sessions to try and help us adapt. So look, it's hot, but it's definitely something that's manageable for us.

Potential to play in a second World Cup

It's an incredible feeling for me. It's actually a little bit more special, because for the first time, I'm involved in the qualification process as well – before, I wasn't. Being around such a good group of lads and really feeling that connection and everyone working towards one common goal is always a special feeling. You see the stuff that happens behind the scenes, the stresses and the pressures and everything involved with qualifying for a World Cup. It's such a massive deal, and it's something that I've never experienced before, personally. So it's been a real eye-opener, and one that I'm really enjoying.

Tony Popovic’s football

The level of tactical discipline and hard work that goes in, day in, day out - that's a real defining factor. You can see that it reflects in the performances. I mean, you look at the last game, we didn't necessarily have much of the ball during the game, but we didn't really give them a sniff either. We stayed together. We were tactically, incredibly disciplined. Everyone was working so hard, throwing their bodies around. And in the end, football is a cruel game, because sometimes it just takes one chance and the game turns on its head. I think maybe in the past, we would have struggled in a game like that. I think we held together really well through camaraderie and just hard work and tactical discipline. We will be able to achieve a lot more as a team, because that way you get more space to express yourself as well going forward, given you are so defensively solid.

Expectations of the game ahead

I think the game is going to play out very, very differently from the Japan game. They've got a different identity as a country with the way they want to play as well. It’s going to be a very different game in a lot of ways, but I do think that there is going to be more space to exploit them as well, because obviously they're going to be a little bit more gung-ho given the situation, as they need to come out and get a big result. I think it's just natural that there'll be more space going forward, but we also need to be really disciplined defensively and make sure we don't give them a sniff.

Feet back on the ground after Japan win

I think our feet came back on the ground pretty soon after the game [against Japan in Perth], to be honest, because obviously the result of the game. We had a little post-match meeting with the boss, and he spoke to us about the importance of being professional in every capacity, when you represent your country, no matter the situation, and honestly, I agree. So obviously, everyone was really ecstatic, everyone was really excited, but we know the job's not done, and we're also here representing Australia, which is not a small deal.

Arzani’s personal success

There's always been a little bit of self-doubt there, especially after the way things unfolded the last few years. But look, that's in the past. Football is a game that changes very quickly, up and down, positive, negative. I'm happy to be in the situation that I'm in now. It hasn't come by easily, nor by coincidence. I've worked really hard to be here, and it's been a slow process. I kept chipping away at it. I'm happy with where I'm at now. There's definitely moments of self-doubt, but I feel like now I've got a good base to really show what I can do and to hopefully go even further.

Match Details

Saudi Arabia v Subway Socceroos
Tuesday, 10 June 2025
King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah
Kick-off: 9.15pm local / 4.15am AEST
Broadcast: Paramount+