Perth has been awarded the right to host Australia's most important home World Cup 2026 qualifier next year.
Optus Stadium will be the venue for the Socceroos' blockbuster match against Japan on June 5 - which could shape the green and gold's journey to the showpiece event to USA, Canada and Mexico.
Australia's final group home match for the 2022 World Cup qualifying against Japan was played in Sydney, while Melbourne hosted the final home group match for the 2018 World Cup.
The decision to announce Optus Stadium as the venue for Socceroos vs. Japan will be made public at a press conference on Monday.
MORE: Socceroos World Cup 2026 qualifying: Fixtures, results, scores, groups, squad
Tony Popovic's team currently sits in second place - which is a direct World Cup qualification position - have four qualifiers left, in March against Indonesia (Sydney) and China (TBC) and in June versus Japan (Perth) and Saudi Arabia (TBC).
Disregarding Japan, who have all but qualified in top spot, Australia sit on seven points with the other four teams in the group on six points.
It's likely the Perth match against Japan will have significant impact on the Socceroos' path to 2026, with results possibly securing qualification or playoff spots in the next stage.
Socceroos AFC 3rd round World Cup 2026 qualifying standings
Group C
| Pos. | Team | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Japan | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 20 | 16 |
| 2. | Australia | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 3. | Indonesia | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 6 |
| 4. | Saudi Arabia | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 6 |
| 5. | Bahrain | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 6 |
| 6. | China | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 6 |
Qualification
- Two top teams from the group qualify directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Third and fourth-placed teams proceed to the fourth round, where they compete against four other Asian nations for two 2026 FIFA World Cup spots
- One team will then proceed to the intercontinental play-off
Socceroos AFC third round World Cup 2026 qualifying schedule
The schedule and results for third round World Cup qualifying is as follows:
| Matchday 1 | 5 September 2024 | Socceroos 0-1 Bahrain | Robina Stadium |
| Matchday 2 | 10 September 2024 | Indonesia 0-0 Socceroos | Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium |
| Matchday 3 | 10 October 2024 | Socceroos 3-1 China | Adelaide Oval |
| Matchday 4 | 15 October 2024 | Japan 1-1 Socceroos | Saitama Stadium 2002 |
| Matchday 5 | 14 November 2024 | Socceroos 1-1 Saudi Arabia | AAMI Park |
| Matchday 6 | 19 November 2024 | Bahrain 2-2 Socceroos | Bahrain National Stadium |
| Matchday 7 | 20 March 2025 | Socceroos vs Indonesia | Sydney Football Stadium |
| Matchday 8 | 25 March 2025 | China vs Socceroos | TBC |
| Matchday 9 | 5 June 2025 | Socceroos vs Japan | Optus Stadium, Perth (likely) |
| Matchday 10 | 10 June 2025 | Saudi Arabia vs Socceroos | TBC |
