With their World Cup absence extending to 24 years, Scotland fans are again likely to adopt a new team to follow in Qatar - but this time, it might not just be whoever England are facing.
The Tartan Army will instead be represented in green and gold with as many as 11 of Australia’s squad having a connection with Scotland. The links between the two countries stretch right back to 1770 and James Cook, the first Brit to land Down Under, who was infact the son of a Scottish ploughman.
Many have since settled in Australia and continue to do so, with around 10 per cent of Aussies population reported to have Scottish ancestry, and there is now an extraordinary theme across the Socceroos' squad. Among the inclusions are a host of players currently plying their trade in the Scottish Premiership, a handful who have done previously and others whose first trip Down Under was to play international football.
They include Stoke defender Harry Souttar, who has been called up despite playing just one competitive match in a year after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament. The left-back – whose mother was born in Australia – made his debut in 2019, just 12 months after brother John turned out for Scotland.
Then there is the Joker in the pack, Jason Cummings. The striker, who had spells with Rangers and Nottingham Forest, was axed by Dundee in January after appearing at a live event for podcast Open Goal, dressed as the Batman character. He was declared unfit to train the next day by boss James McPake and weeks later secured a deal with A-League side Central Coast Mariners.
Since then, Cummings hasn’t looked back and is in lethal goalscoring form, admitting: “When I came across here in January, I just wanted to prove to everybody that I am a good player. I feel this move has helped me grow as a person and as footballer.
“My mum was the first person I spoke to after my call-up. She was born in Australia so I knew what it meant to her.”
Hibernian talisman Martin Boyle, who has won 19 caps despite being born in Aberdeen, had also been in the squad but he suffered injury heartbreak just days before the opener with France and had to be replaced.
They will be joined by a host of Scottish-based players, including former Premier League star Aaron Mooy, who now plies his trade with Celtic under fellow Aussie Ange Postecoglou. Hearts have boosted their squad with Socceroos in the past couple of years too, with defenders Nathaniel Atkinson and Kye Rowles joining Cameron Devlin on the plane to Qatar.
Elsewhere, Aziz Behich and international new boy Keanu Baccus moved to to join Dundee United and St Mirren respectively last summer. They will link up with former Hull midfielder Jackson Irvine, who played for four clubs in Scotland and is now with St. Pauli in Germany.
Newcastle fans will be keeping a close eye on Australia’s performances too, with teenager Garang Kuol named in Arnold’s squad after just one appearance for his country.
Wildcard Kuol, 18, caught the eye of a host of European clubs during an A-League All Stars match against Barcelona this year but Newcastle won the race to land him. He has dazzled off the bench for Central Coast Mariners this term, but remarkably has never even started a senior match.
Arnold’s men will be up against it in Qatar and get their campaign underway against reigning champions France on November 22. It is their fifth tournament in a row they have qualified for, although there has not been a win since defeating Serbia in 2010.
They will hope to change that, with Tunisia appearing their easiest opponent in Group D – although qualification may prove tricky with Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark also in there.
Arnold, who has been in charge since 2018, made a big call by omitting son-in-law Trent Sainsbury. He insisted: “We may not be the best technical team there, but at the same time, mentally and physically we’re going to be one of the best. Of course, we’re coming up against some great opponents but the only way you can upset those opponents is by having players that can run all day, fight all day, the old Aussie DNA.”
