The Socceroos will begin their path to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia tomorrow night (Tuesday AEST) when the draw for the second round of AFC Asian qualifying is conducted in Kuala Lumpur.
And what a journey it could be for Ange Postecoglou’s Asian champions, who could come up against some of the smallest nations in the confederation.
Having won the AFC Asian Cup in January and pulling off a 2-2 draw with world champions Germany last month, the Socceroos are one of the top-ranked nations in the region and will therefore avoid other heavyweights like Japan, Korea Republic and Iran.
Socceroos' World Cup qualification draw explained
It means the likes of Timor Leste, Maldives, Laos, Yemen, India, Afghanistan or Guam could stand in front of the Aussies and a spot in the final stage of qualifying.
It promises to be an interesting journey for our Socceroo stars, with qualifiers getting underway in June.
Regardless of which nations the Socceroos draw, Postecoglou expects his side to qualify for a fourth straight World Cup and also do it in style.
Postecoglou not only expects his Socceroos to get to Russia in three years’ time but also to do some damage and take it to the world’s best when they get there.
“We don't just want to qualify, we want to go there to Russia in 2018 and do some damage, scare a few countries and actually try and win the thing," Postecoglou said at a Melbourne City business function just last week.
“That sounds pretty ridiculous sitting here right now but at some point that should be our goal. To try and win a World Cup.
“We've got to start somewhere. I'm happy to be the first cab off the rank. As crazy as it may sound, we'll see how far we get."
The Socceroos are currently ranked 63rd in the latest FIFA rankings which were announced last week, jumping two spots from the previous months.
The Socceroos' latest FIFA rankings revealed
It comes after their sensational 2-2 draw with Germany in Kaiserslautern last month as well as a 0-0 stalemate against FYR Macedonia in Skopje.