Now give me some proper detail
The biggest boon of Australia’s passage to a sixth consecutive World Cup was, for once, missing out on the acute anxiety of the play-offs.
This is the first time that the Socceroos have reached the World Cup finals directly since 2014 after a sharp improvement under head coach Tony Popovic.
The former Crystal Palace defender replaced Graham Arnold after a defeat and draw in their opening two qualifying matches and guided Australia to seven wins and a draw from the final eight games, and the fastest route to this summer’s tournament.
Australia reached the last 16 for only the second time in 2022 and the obvious goal four years later would be to win a World Cup knockout match for the first time – although in a group where each team looks capable of beating the other, Popovic and his men may wish to avoid Australia’s traditionally slow start.
They have lost in five of their six opening matches at the World Cup, with their solitary first-game win coming against Japan 20 years ago.
On this occasion, Australia face Turkey, Paraguay and something of a grudge match against hosts the USA. Mauricio Pochettino’s side were the first to triumph against the Socceroos in the Popovic era, ending his 11-game unbeaten start in October.