- Former boss Graham Arnold has resigned from his post
- It comes after shocking results in the recent qualifiers
- The new coach will have little time to adapt
Tony Popovic has won the race to become Socceroos manager, and fans won’t have to wait long to hear from the manager about how he plans to fix Australia’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign.
Graham Arnold made the shock decision to step down as manager last week, falling flat on his face following the Socceroos’ recent troubles.
Australia’s World Cup qualification hangs in the balance after they began the final round of qualifying with a shock 1-0 home defeat to Bahrain and a 0-0 draw with Indonesia.
The Socceroos need to finish in the top two of their six-team group to guarantee their place at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
If they finish third or fourth, they will face another round of qualifying and the road to the World Cup will become increasingly dangerous.
Popovic, who made 58 appearances for Australia as a centre-back, could be unveiled as coach by Football Australia as early as Monday.
His contract is expected to run until the end of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Former footballer Tony Popovic has won the race to lead the national team to the next World Cup.
Former Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has resigned following a disastrous start to qualifying
Popovic’s first task will be to lead the Socceroos into battle against China in Adelaide on October 10.
A win there is simply a necessity if Australia are to stay within touching distance of Group C leaders Japan and second-placed Saudi Arabia.
Japan has a perfect lead, with two wins in two games, and a goal difference of +12.
Saudi Arabia have recorded one win and one draw in their first two matches.
After facing winless China, the Socceroos face a tough trip to Japan five days later.
Popovic has been out of work since leaving Melbourne Victory following their A-League Men’s Grand Final defeat to Central Coast Mariners.
The 51-year-old, who worked as an assistant at Crystal Palace earlier in his managerial career and has coached clubs in Turkey and Greece, has been living in Croatia since opting not to renew his contract with Victory.
The Socceroos have little time to turn their fortunes around under their new coach
Popovic guided Western Sydney Wanderers to the Asian Champions League title in 2014.
He also led Perth Glory to first place in the ALM and helped Victory to the Australian Cup.
Popovic was in the running for the Socceroos job in 2013 but lost out to Ange Postecoglou, who now coaches Tottenham in the English Premier League.
Arnold came into the current qualifying round confident that he had enough talent at his disposal to break down the stoic defences of his Asian rivals.
The Socceroos’ failure to score a single goal against Bahrain and Indonesia led to Arnold’s downfall, and Popovic now faces the challenge of turning his country’s fortunes around.