Taggart: It’s a very special opportunity to play in Perth

Subway Socceroos striker Adam Taggart said that it was a “very special opportunity” to have the chance to play Japan, and potentially qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, in his home town of Perth.

Taggart was speaking to media on Wednesday morning ahead of the decisive clash on Thursday evening.

He also touched on the potential to create special memories in the West with a victory that would almost secure qualification, his place in the starting team, and what he was expecting from Japan.

Playing in Perth

It’s a very, very special opportunity, [and a] massive match against Japan. I’m stoked that it's going to be here in Perth, to be involved in front of friends and family in my hometown city. It’s very, very special, especially after last year's match and how memorable that was. I'm really looking forward to this one.

Potential to qualify

It's almost surreal, to have the opportunity to do it here in Perth, not only for myself personally, but for the city, and for all the people that I care about. It’s a great opportunity. Last year, there was great memories for us, and all the boys spoke so highly of playing here, and it's been a great few days so far. So knowing what's on the line and being able to have the opportunity to do it here in Perth - which isn't something that comes around too often - is something that obviously we all want to make the most of. We’ll put our best foot forward and give ourselves the best chance possible to win the game, and put us in a very good position to qualify. 

His place in starting team

We'll see later today and then tomorrow, with the selections and things like that. It’s been a good couple of weeks of training in Abu Dhabi, and the last couple of days here in Perth. There's some fantastic strikers here as well. So healthy competition is always good, and I've enjoyed that over the past few weeks. I'll be ready as best as I can and in whatever role that I play, I'll do my best.

Memories of World Cup qualification

I think everyone knows the John Aloisi penalty [from 2005], and it's replayed over and over again. I was trying to explain to my Mum the other day that the game tomorrow is a similar situation to that. The win puts us in a fantastic position to qualify, and an opportunity like this in Perth doesn't come around too often. A lot of these games are in Sydney and in a couple of the bigger cities. So to be able to have the chance to create something special, like some of those moments that the whole nation has seen over and over again, like that John Aloisi penalty, or the Josh Kennedy header [from 2013] and things like that. To have a chance to do it here in Perth is massive and really special for all of us, but even more so, the boys from this city.

Expectations of Japan

After playing in Japan and understanding the country in a footballing sense, it's obviously a very, very disciplined country. It’s a country built on honour and pride and things like that, and a lot of defensive duties come down to that. I know that for them, their defence is something that they obviously take a lot of care of, and are always focusing on that. They’re a tight-knit group, and making sure that they do their nation proud. So they've got a strong defence, and I know have always done. It's going to be a tough challenge for us tomorrow, but obviously we're confident with the preparation that we've had and understanding how to break them down, that that we can do it, but we obviously need to respect the opponent and they've been very good defensively.

SUBWAY SOCCEROOS’ FIXTURES | JUNE FIFA MEN’S INTERNATIONAL WINDOW

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+