Following the announcement that the Socceroos and All Whites will face off in a two-match Soccer Ashes Series in Canberra and Auckland this September, take a look back at the long history between the two nations that dates back over a century.
Who will take out this year's historic prize in the latest chapter of the Trans-Tasman rivalry?
The teams first met on June 17, 1922 in Dunedin, with New Zealand winning 3-1 in front of 8,000 people.
Overall, the teams have met 65 times in men’s football, with the Socceroos winning 41 to New Zealand’s 13, with 11 games finishing in draws - only two of them goalless.
The record margin of victory in the fixture was Australia's 10–0 win in 1936, while New Zealand's biggest victory was 4–1 in 1923. The Aussies have won their past five encounters and are unbeaten in their previous seven, last suffering defeat in 2002.
Our first meeting
The history of the Australian Men's National Football team dates all the way back to 1922, when a tour invitation from New Zealand Football was accepted by the Commonwealth Football Association.
Players from NSW and Queensland were chosen for the tour which consisted of fourteen games, including three Tests. The first of those took place in Dunedin on 17 June, in which New Zealand were victorious 3-1, with William Maunder scoring the only goal for Australia.
Australia played in a light-blue strip with maroon hoops on the socks, incorporating the colours of both NSW and Queensland. They wore those colours until 1924 when Green and Gold were incorporated into the kit.
Our first home game and victory over New Zealand
The Socceroos played their first home game against New Zealand at the Brisbane Cricket Ground on June 9, 1923.
While 7000 people watched on as the two teams battled it out on Australian soil for the first time, Australia also recorded their first victory over their new rivals.
Courtesy of goals from Percy Lennard and William Maunder, Australia defeated the Kiwis 2-1 in the friendly match at the ground now known as the 'GABBA'.
Despite the victory, New Zealand went on to win the remaining two matches in the tour.
It throughout this series that the Soccer Ashes trophy was constructed, with a cigars smoked by the two captains housed in a safety razor case that was carried at Gallipoli.
The trophy would serve as the prize for the two nations' clashes over the next few decades, before it went missing for nearly 70 years - until its rediscovery in 2023.
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Our first World Cup Qualifying meeting
The first round of the 1974 FIFA World Cup Qualifying series was played in Australia and New Zealand.
The Socceroos were part of the Asia and Oceania zone, which was afforded one qualifying spot of the fourteen that were on offer (West Germany automatically qualified as hosts, Brazil as defending champions).
The competing teams in Zone B-Group 2 were Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Iraq. Each team played each other twice, with the winner of the Group to play the winner of Zone B-Group 1.
The opening match of the series was played in Auckland against New Zealand. After Australia's friendly victory against New Zealand in Djakarta five months earlier, many supporters were expecting big things from Australia in the first match but a 1-1 draw was played out.
The Kiwis led up to the 85th minute and Australia offered little until Ernie Campbell, a 67th-minute substitute, bobbed up to head home a miraculous equaliser.
The Socceroos went on the qualify for the 1974 World Cup where they played West Germany, nearby East Germany, and South American team Chile in a difficult Group 1.
The first Trans-Tasman Cup
The Trans-Tasman Cup was a competition played between Australia and New Zealand. Six editions were played between 1983 and 1995 after the OFC Nations Cup was discontinued.
The first Trans-Tasman Cup match was played in 1983 and won by New Zealand. The first leg, played in Auckland was a 2-1 victory for the Kiwis, followed by a 2-0 victory in the return leg in Melbourne to seal a 4-1 aggregate win.
The first Trans-Tasman Cup win
The tournament was won four times by Australia and twice by New Zealand with the Socceroos' first triumph coming in 1986.
The first leg in Auckland produced a 1-1 draw with now Socceroos coach Graham Arnold scoring the all-important goal.
In the return leg in Melbourne, Arnold was again on the scoresheet alongside Andrew Zinni to hand Australia a 2-1 victory on the night and a 3-2 aggregate victory overall.
While New Zealand won the following Trans-Tasman Cup, Australia won the next three cups before the tournament was discontinued in 1995.
Our first Olympics Qualification meeting
Australia played New Zealand in Olympic qualification for the first time in 1988.
The match at the Sydney Football Stadium produced an exciting encounter as the Socceroos recorded a 3-1 victory thanks to goals from Jim Patikas, Frank Farina and Oscar Crino.
Australia went on to cement a place at the Olympic Games Finals in Seoul in September 1988 after going on an unbeaten run through qualifying.
Our first and only Optus World Series meeting
The 1997 Optus World Series was a four-nation series designed to assess the locally based players against Norway, New Zealand and South Korea. Similar matches were later organised for Australians playing in European Leagues with a view to assembling the best possible squad for the 1998 World Cup qualifiers.
The first and only meeting in the series between Australia and New Zealand produced a 1-0 win for the Socceroos.
Played in Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne, Matthew Bingley scored the only goal for the Socceroos as they went on to win the mini tournament with subsequent victories over South Korea and Norway.
Our first OFC Nations Cup meeting
The OFC Nations Cup began in 1973 as the "Oceania Cup" but Australia were not involved.
In 1998, Australia entered the tournament and faced Fiji and Cook Islands in the group stage. The Socceroos went on to top the group and beat Tahitia in the semi-finals before losing 1-0 to New Zealand in the final in Brisbane.
While Australia managed to reach the final of this event, they reserved their worst performance to last and New Zealand gained entry to the Confederation Cup finals the following year in Mexico with victory.
Our 2011 meeting
Australia last faced New Zealand in a friendly match at the Adelaide Oval in 2011.
Two goals from Josh Kennedy and an injury-time converted penalty by James Troisi gave the Socceroos a win in their first match at the Adelaide Oval since 1958.
The All Whites have not had a win against the Socceroos since 2004.
The 2022 Centenary Series
Fast forward to September 2022, when the Socceroos met the All Whites in a home-and-away series that served as Australia's last two matches before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Graham Arnold's side came away with back-to-back victories, in a series that also served as recognition of 100 year since both nation's first 'A' Internationals, back in June 1922.
First up, a moment of magic from Awer Mabil split the two sides in Brisbane.
In the second fixture, Australia saw six debutants play their first internationals.
After Mitch Duke opened the scoring, a couple of the debutants stole the show, as a lightning run from Garang Kuol led to a penalty which was dispatched by Jason Cummings.
The Return of the Soccer Ashes
After nearly 70 years, the Soccer Ashes were up for grabs in October 2023 following the trophy's rediscovery months earlier. Brentford, England was the location for the contest, which saw the Subway Socceroos prevail in rather comfortable fashion with a 2-0 win thanks to a goal in each half from Harry Souttar and Jackson Irvine.
Competing for the prize on home soil again
For the first time since 1954, the Soccer Ashes will take place in the respective competing countries - Australia and New Zealand. The first leg takes place in the nation's capital before the two sides travel across the ditch to Auckland for the second and deciding leg.
The matches also serve as ideal preparation for Tony Popovic and his squad ahead of next year's FIFA World Cup 2026™ having qualified for the showpiece event in June.
Upcoming Matches
Subway Socceroos v New Zealand
Friday, 5 September
GIO Stadium, Canberra
Kick-off: 7.45pm AEST
Tickets: $29 Child, $31 Concession, $39 Adult, and $110 Family. Tickets from Ticketek.
Football Account Pre-Sale: 10.00am AEST on Tuesday, 24 June 2025.
General Public On-Sale: 4.00pm AEST Wednesday, 25 June 2025.
Broadcast: 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
New Zealand v Subway Socceroos
Tuesday, 9 September
Go Media Stadium, Auckland
Kick-off: 7.00pm local / 5.00pm AEST
Broadcast: Paramount+
