Australia’s qualification for the 2022 World Cup was defined by thin margins. A last-minute loss to Japan and a 1–0 defeat to Saudi Arabia late in the qualifying process meant the Socceroos were going to have to fight through multiple playoffs to reach Qatar. This time, the margins tipped in favor of Graham Arnold’s side. Midfielder Ajdin Hrustic scored an 84th-minute winner over the United Arab Emirates in the Asian playoff to reach the intercontinental playoff against Peru. There, substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne came on for a penalty shootout and made waves with his antics, but eventually made the decisive save to send the Socceroos to their fifth consecutive World Cup.
This isn’t a side with big-name stars like its golden generation of the 2000s. But it’s a team that was able to grind out qualification playing a majority of its matches on the road due to its country’s strict COVID-19 restrictions. Some fresh faces from a winless performance in the 2018 tournament, namely speedy wingers Martin Boyle and Awer Mabil, could inject new life for a nation looking to make the knockout stage for just the second time.
