After starting round three of Asian Qualifying in style with a 3-0 win over China, the Socceroos will shoot for two from two in Hanoi on Tuesday night.
Here's everything you need to know as Australia prepare to take on Vietnam at 10pm (AEST) on Tuesday.
How to watch
Yet again the match will be broadcast live and free on via Network Ten and Ten Play, with some states able to view the match on Channel 10, and others through 10 Bold.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ – AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar (Final Round)
Vietnam v Australia
Date: Tuesday, 7 September 2021
Venue: My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam
Kick-off: 7pm local (10pm AEST)
Broadcast: Live and free on 10 (NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT, TAS), and 10 Bold (SA, NT, WA) – pre-game coverage from 9.30pm AEST
For residents of other regional areas, be sure to check your local guides. International audiences can find out how to watch here.
Ahead of Tuesday's match, re-live the highlights from Thursday's win:
Our schedule moving forward
Games in the third round are scheduled to be played on the following match days: 2 September 2021, 7 September 2021, 7 October 2021, 12 October 2021, 11 November 2021, 16 November 2021, 27 January 2022, 1 February 2022, 24 March 2022 and 29 March 2022.
Due to the ever-evolving COVID-19 situation, match locations and times will be confirmed in the lead-up to each window.
|
Day/Date |
Match |
|
Thursday, 2 September 2021 |
AUSTRALIA 3-0 China PR |
|
Tuesday, 7 September 2021 |
Vietnam v AUSTRALIA |
|
Thursday, 7 October 2021 |
AUSTRALIA v Oman |
|
Tuesday, 12 October 2021 |
Japan v AUSTRALIA |
|
Thursday, 11 November 2021 |
AUSTRALIA v Saudi Arabia |
|
Tuesday, 16 November 2021 |
China PR v AUSTRALIA |
|
Thursday, 27 January 2022 |
AUSTRALIA v Vietnam |
|
Tuesday, 1 February 2022 |
Oman v AUSTRALIA |
|
Thursday, 24 March 2022 |
AUSTRALIA v Japan |
|
Tuesday, 29 March 2022 |
Saudi Arabia v AUSTRALIA |
The Squad
Socceroos Head Coach Graham Arnold announced a 27-man squad set to represent Australia in its first two FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ – AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar (Final Round) fixtures throughout September.
The Socceroos’ squad has been selected almost exclusively from Australian players based at clubs overseas, with Rhyan Grant from Sydney FC the only A-League-based player to be called up for the commencement of the crucial final phase of qualifiers.
Several other A-League players were in contention to feature in the squad, however challenges surrounding quarantine, and personal factors, have resulted in August/September’s Socceroos squad featuring players predominately from overseas-based clubs.
| Name | Club, Country | 'A' International Caps (Goals |
| Daniel ARZANI | Lommel SK, Belgium | 6 (1) |
| Aziz BEHICH | Giresunspor, Turkey | 41 (2) |
| Martin BOYLE | Hibernian FC, Scotland | 7 (3) |
| Milos DEGENEK | Red Star Belgrade, Serbia | 31 (1) |
| Kenneth DOUGALL | Blackpool FC, England | 3 (0) |
| Mitchell DUKE | Fagiano Okayama, Japan | 9 (4) |
| Callum ELDER | Hull City AFC, England | 0 (0) |
| Denis GENREAU | Toulouse FC, France | 1 (0) |
| Rhyan GRANT | Sydney FC, Australia | 14 (0) |
| Ajdin HRUSTIC | Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany | 7 (1) |
| Jackson IRVINE | FC St. Pauli, Germany | 37 (6) |
| Paul IZZO (Gk) | Xanthi FC, Greece | 0 (0) |
| James JEGGO | Aris Thessalonki, Greece | 5 (0) |
| Awer MABIL | FC Midtjylland, Denmark | 17 (4) |
| Ryan MCGOWAN | Kuwait SC, Kuwait | 21 (0) |
| Riley MCGREE | Birmingham City FC, England | 3 (0)` |
| Aaron MOOY | Shanghai Port FC, China | 43 (6) |
| Tom ROGIC | Celtic FC, Scotland | 47 (9) |
| Mathew RYAN (Gk) | Real Sociedad, Spain | 61 (0) |
| Trent SAINSBURY | KV Kortrijk, Belgium | 50 (3) |
| Brad SMITH | Seattle Sounders FC, United States of America | 22 (0) |
| Harry SOUTTAR | Stoke City FC, England | 5 (6) |
| Ryan STRAIN | Maccabi Haifa, Israel | 0 (0) |
| Adam TAGGART | Cerezo Osaka, Japan | 12 (6) |
| Lawrence THOMAS (Gk) | SønderjyskE Fodbold, Denmark | 1 (0) |
| Danny VUKOVIC (Gk) | NEC Nijmegen, Netherlands | 4 (0) |
| Bailey WRIGHT | Sunderland AFC, England | 24 (1) |
The draw
The Socceroos will take on Japan, Saudi Arabia, China PR, Oman, and Vietnam in the Final Round of AFC Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
The draw saw Australia pooled in Group B of qualification, with Group A containing IR Iran, Korea Republic, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
To qualify for a fifth consecutive FIFA World Cup™, Australia must finish either first or second in Group B, which includes ten matches to be played from September 2021 to March 2022, to qualify directly.
A third-place finish would send the Socceroos to a play-off against the third-place team from Group A, followed by an intercontinental play-off.
The journey so far
Australia has made a perfect start their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, advancing through their first group in perfect fashion.
Wit the first four matches played in late 2019 and final half of the group played out in June 2021, the Socceroos secured eight-straight victories: with seven of those coming away from home.
Graham Arnold's side notched an impressive 28 goals at an average of 3.5 per game, while conceding just the two.
A 3-0 win in Kuwait kicked off the campaign, as Mathew Leckie bagged a memorable brace and Aaron Mooy curled home a stunner to ensure the result.
A month later, the Socceroos returned home to Canberra where they played out a comfortable 5-0 victory over Nepal. Jamie Maclaren stole the show with his first international hat trick, while Harry Souttar instantly endeared himself to the Australian fans with a brace on debut.
Five days later, the squad travelled to Chinese Taipei where they secured their most emphatic result so far, overcoming the home nation 7-1 at Kaohsiung National Stadium. Adam Taggart, Jackson Irvine and Souttar all registered braces, as Ajdin Hrustic came off the bench to chip in with a trio of assists.
Exactly a month later, it was a whole lot closer when Australia travelled to face Jordan in Amman. But Arnold's side managed to get the job done in difficult conditions, with a solitary Adam Taggart goal ensuring the Socceroos would return home with a priceless three points.
When the full time whistle blew on that night in November 2019, no one would have suspected that the Socceroos would wait another 18 months before returning to action.
But that was exactly the case, as the Asian Qualifiers finally resumed within a hub based in Kuwait City.
Despite the lengthy intermission, Australia would come away with another four important victories to ensure they sealed top spot in Group B and advanced to within striking distance of a fifth-straight FIFA World Cup Finals appearance.
Round 3 kicked off in perfect fashion, with a 3-0 win over China in Doha sealing top spot of Group B with one round played.
