The Socceroos face Egypt in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup on Saturday 4 July at 4am AEST at Dallas Stadium. Australia finished second in Group D after a 2-0 win over Turkey, a 2-0 loss to the USA, and a 0-0 draw with Paraguay, advancing to the knockout stage for the third time.
How to watch the match
Every World Cup match is broadcast live on SBS and SBS Viceland, and available for streaming on SBS On Demand. The Guardian is also live-blogging all 104 matches, with reporter Jack Snape covering the Socceroos as part of a 15-strong team of correspondents across Canada, Mexico and the US.
Full Socceroos schedule
After the Egypt clash, possible knockout path: last 16 on Wednesday 8 July at 2am AEST in Atlanta, quarter-final on Sunday 12 July at 11am AEST in Kansas City, semi-final on Thursday 16 July at 5am AEST in Atlanta, and final on Monday 20 July at 5am AEST in New York/New Jersey. All times AEST.
Socceroos squad
Coach Tony Popovic named a 26-man squad including two uncapped strikers: Cristian Volpato, who switched allegiance from Italy, and Tete Yengi. Notable omissions: Kye Rowles, Brandon Borello, and Martin Boyle. Veterans Mathew Leckie, Harry Souttar, Maty Ryan, Jackson Irvine, and Aziz Behich made the cut, with Mo Touré and Nestory Irankunda ready up front. After his surprise start against Turkey, Patrick Beach has staked his claim as No 1 goalkeeper.
Live sites around Australia
Federation Square in Melbourne will screen the match after a brief ban was lifted. Other sites: Sydney (Parramatta Square, Tumbalong Park, Allianz Stadium, and more), Victoria (AAMI Park, Marvel Stadium, Broadmeadows Town Hall, Maddern Square in Footscray, and regional venues), Adelaide (The Drive), Perth (Northbridge Piazza), Brisbane (Southbank), Darwin (Darwin Football Stadium).
World Cup format and host cities
The 2026 tournament features 48 teams, with 16 host cities: two in Canada, three in Mexico, and 11 in the US, split into western, central, and eastern regions. This is the first time three nations co-host. All three co-hosts advanced to the knockouts.
Australia's 2022 performance
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Socceroos lost 1-2 to eventual champions Argentina in the round of 16, pushing them to the limit.
