Match Preview: Socceroos v New Zealand

With the countdown to Qatar well and truly on,  the Socceroos will face off against New Zealand on Thursday at 8pm (AEST) in their farewell match and Centenary celebration at Suncorp Stadium.

The two nations meet for the first time since 2011 when they play a friendly to prepare for the World Cup at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday at 8pm (AEST). 

Australia's farewell match will be the first appearance of the national team in the Queensland capital since November 2018.

The match will also double as a Centenary celebration, with 2022 marking 100 years since Australia’s men’s national football team – now known as the Socceroos – played the first ‘A’ international match in Dunedin, New Zealand. A year later in 1923, the first ‘A’ international Socceroos’ match on home soil was contested at the Brisbane Cricket Ground on 7 June in front of 7,000 supporters, which Australia won 2-1.

The Socceroos have not played since securing their spot at the 2022 World Cup with a penalty shootout win over Peru and the match will give Aussie fans an opportunity to wish the squad well and thank them for their achievements. 

A week later, the Socceroos will face off against New Zealand in Dunedin. With Graham Arnold naming a 31-man squad for the two matches, he has implied that he will experiment with two different starting sides and will likely opt to field an experienced team for this clash on home soil. 

Amongst the fresh faces in camp are 17-year-old Garang Kuol, who made his Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s debut in April this year, scoring four goals in his first seven senior games. His Central Coast Mariners’ teammate, Jason Cummings also joins him after moving to Australia in January this year and scoring 10 goals in his debut A-League Men’s campaign.

Tokyo 2020 Olyroos’ squad members Keanu Baccus, Cameron Devlin, Ryan Strain and Tyrese Francois, will also join the Socceroos’ squad for the first time as will Korea Republic-based defender Harrison Delbridge. Thomas Deng, who also played at the Tokyo Olympics rejoins the squad for the first time since 2018.

Meanwhile, New Zealand coach Danny Hay has named a more conservative 24-man New Zealand squad with Newcastle United forward Chris Wood likely to lead the line. Five Wellington Phoenix players have also been called up. 

New Zealand captain Winston Reid will also retire from international football after Sunday's friendly against Australia in front of home fans in Auckland.

While the Socceroos qualified for the 2022 World Cup in spectacular fashion, it was not such a happy ending for the All Whites as they lost their play-off against Costa Rica 1-0. 

Despite not making the World Cup, New Zealand enter the match with a point to prove against a nation that they have fiercely done battle with over the years. 

While matches between the Socceroos and the All Whites have been rare in recent years, a historic rivalry exists. The teams first met on June 17, 1922, in Dunedin, with New Zealand winning 3-1 in front of 8000 people.

Their most recent match was on June 5, 2011, with Australia defeating the All Whites 3-0 at Adelaide Oval, where 21,281 fans were in attendance.

Overall, the teams have met 63 times in men’s football, with the Socceroos winning 39 to New Zealand’s 13, with 11 games finishing in draws - only two of them goalless. 

Opta Insights: Australia vs New Zealand, September 22

• Australia have won seven of their last eight men’s ‘A’ internationals against New Zealand (L1), including their last four in succession; the last and only time the Socceroos enjoyed a longer winning run against the All Whites was a 10-match span from June 1933 to September 1948.
• Australia have lost only one of their last nine men’s internationals at Suncorp Stadium (W5, D3), a 1-0 defeat to Korea Republic (17 January 2015); the Socceroos have led at halftime on the day in just two of the matches in that span.
• New Zealand are winless in their last three men’s internationals (D1, L2), after winning eight of their nine games prior (L1).
• Martin Boyle (Australia) created seven scoring chances in the AFC World Cup Qualifiers in 2022; only Korea Republic’s Jae-Sung Lee (11) logged more in this category.
• Australia’s Ajdin Hrustic (10) and Martin Boyle (10) were fouled more times than any other players in the AFC World Cup Qualifiers in 2022.

How to watch

The Socceroos' match against New Zealand will be broadcast live and free on Australia's 'Home of Football,' Network Ten.  

The match will be shown live on Network 10 and streamed via both 10 Play and Paramount+.

International fans, stay tuned for more information around how you can watch the game.

Socceroos vs New Zealand All Whites
Date: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 8.00pm AEST
Tickets: https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/Show.aspx?sh=FFASUN0222
Watch: Live on Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+, pre-game from 7.30pm AEST

World Ranking

Australia: 39
New Zealand: 103

What they said 

Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold

“This camp is the last opportunity we will have to work with the squad ahead of November’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ tournament, and all players are competing for a spot in the final squad which will be announced in early November.

“With two games in four days, this camp provides us with a unique opportunity to bring in some new players who can push for selection ahead of the FIFA World Cup™.

“I’m excited to see a number of young Australians gaining great experience across Europe and throughout Asia, and it is important we bring them into the national team environment to build on our depth and assess their capabilities at this level"

New Zealand head coach Danny Hay  

“All in, whether you put the tag friendly next to it or not.

“I think we all know when you're battling against the old foe, that it's going to be anything but.

"It's going to be an exciting war, for want of a better phrase, and it's probably a chance for us to bury the demons of Costa Rica.

"It's not going to fully bury them – we're still hurting from that, we know we should be at the World Cup and we feel a little bit hard done by and it does hurt.”

Our squad

Socceroos Squad | September FIFA International Window 2022 | Australia v New Zealand 
 

What's next for the Socceroos?

The Socceroos play another friendly against New Zealand on Sunday before turning their attention to taking on reigning World Champions France, Tunisia, and Denmark in Group D in November.

New Zealand vs Socceroos
Date: Sunday, 25 September 2022
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand  
Kick-off: 4.00pm (local time), 1.00pm (AEST)
Tickets: On sale now from www.ticketek.co.nz