Our second instalment of 'That's a Wrap!', a monthly review involving all things about Australia's men's senior and junior national teams and players presented by our Official Partner, Subway, is back to highlight the major moments from August.
Australia drawn in Group I for FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers
The Subway Socceroos’ qualification journey for the FIFA World Cup 2026TM was confirmed late last month with the Aussies situated in Group I following a draw ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
Australia were drawn in Group I alongside Palestine, Lebanon and the winner of Maldives and Bangladesh which will be played over two legs during the October FIFA window.
As a result of their current ranking within the Confederation, ranked #3, Graham Arnold's side automatically entered the Second Round of the qualification process, which doubles as a direct qualifier for the AFC Asian Cup 2027TM in Saudi Arabia.
The Subway Socceroos will play these three nations in a home-and-away round-robin format, between November 2023 and June 2024, where venues for Australia’s home matches to be announced by Football Australia in due course.
European leagues return
The start of August means the return of club football for many Socceroos and Australians based in Europe.
Kye Rowles, Nathaniel Atkinson and Cameron Devlin have enjoyed consistent minutes with Heart of Midlothian in Scotland.
Martin Boyle has hit the ground running upon his return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury at crosstown rivals Hibernian, with four goals in eight matches in all competitions.
At St Mirren Keanu Baccus and Ryan Strain have been standout contributors for the Saints as they lie in third place.
Maty Ryan has also been solid at AZ Alkmaar, who have started their 2023/24 campaign in strong fashion as they currently sit equal top in the Eredivisie.
Aussies secure moves overseas
The transfers continued over the offseason for a number of Aussies in search of more playing time and new opportunities.
Garang Kuol joined Eredivisie outfit FC Volendam on a season-long loan from Newcastle United, while young midfielder Alex Robertson did the same with EFL League one side Portsmouth as he looks to get senior experience while on loan from Manchester City.
Also in August, Awer Mabil transferred to Swiss Super League club Grasshopper Club Zurich, signing a two-year contract with an option for a third year, while a Subway Olyroo and Young Socceroo also secured transfers.
To stay up to date with the latest Aussies Abroad news click here.
Subway Olyroos - AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024TM Qualifiers
Subway Olyroos Head Coach Tony Vidmar announced his 23-player squad for September's AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Qualifiers in Tajikistan.
Australia U-23 have been drawn in Group I and will begin assembling in Dushanbe at the end of August to commence their preparations for group games scheduled for September 6 (Laos) and 12 (Tajikistan) at the Republican Central Stadium, Dushanbe.
To qualify for the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024TM, Australia will need to finish as group winner or be one of the four best second placed teams among all eleven groups. If they are successful, the tournament will also double as a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where they need to finish in the top three to automatically qualify for Paris as the AFC representatives. The fourth-best team will play an AFC-CAF play-off match for the final qualification spot.
