Subway Socceroos Assistant Coach Hayden Foxe said that the squad is “raring to go” ahead of crucial FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualifiers in the June international window.
He was speaking to media from our training camp in Abu Dhabi prior to the window beginning in under two weeks' time.
Mood in the camp
We're really excited about our preparation for the June window. There are some new faces, which is really nice. It’s exciting to see some young ones, some older ones, but they've all arrived in a good bill of health, which is really important. And I think they're all excited. They're raring to go. They want to train.
New and returning faces
They're here for a reason, because they've shown what they've been able to do at club level. Some of them have these opportunities to show us what they can do. What we’re asking them to do is to go out and be at their best. This camp is really about how we can build some resilience, strength and robustness for these two games coming up against Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Using the training camp as preparation
It's an advantage and a big plus for us to have the players for 10 days before we actually go into camp. We can't have all the players, obviously, because some are still in their respective competitions. But it's really nice because normally, we only have them for a very short period. So, to be able to get a lot of tactical and physical work into them before this window is a big positive for everyone.
Replacing an injured Jackson Irvine
It’s always a blow, but whoever comes in to replace Jackson, I’m sure will be ready for the opportunity they’re given.
First and foremost, we look at that position, how that will complement the midfield pairing, and who can play in that position. Seeing who that is, where we might have to adapt, but more than likely, it will be more of a straight swap.
We lose Jackson’s experience and his leadership qualities. He's a great leader on and off the pitch - but that gives opportunities for other players, younger players, to step into that role and gain some experience.
The importance of the window
We just take each day, each training session, at a time. Closer to the game, we'll start focusing on Japan, on how we prepare for them. Once we get everyone in for that camp, we take it game by game - that's all we can do.
We know what we need to do. We're in a great position. We're three points clear of third spot, so it's in our hands. I think the boys should be confident. They had a great window in March. We went to Japan early in our tenure in October and put in a great performance, and we've improved in each window along the way.
The boys will be confident, excited, and come game day, the expectation for the boys will be to qualify directly.
Big game experience
You want them to be confident, and you want them to be prepared in the right way, but then don't be overcome with so much emotion and try to stay as calm as possible - and then you just play the moment. A lot of the boys have had experience in big games. So this is no different. The calmer they are, the more they know, the easier it will be for them.
MATCH DETAILS
Subway Socceroos v Japan
Thursday, 5 June 2025
Perth Stadium, Perth
Kick-off: 7.00pm local / 9:00pm AEST
Tickets: Available via Ticketmaster
Broadcast: 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
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+