- The World Cup qualifying campaign has been disappointing
- The pressure on Socceroos coach Graham Arnold continues to mount
- The shock defeat to Bahrain was followed by a modest draw with Indonesia
If the rarely scoring Socceroos fail to beat China in their next World Cup qualifier, coach Graham Arnold could be out of the running.
This comes despite Football Australia chief executive James Johnson publicly backing Arnold on Friday.
The Socceroos currently sit fifth in Group C after a shock 1-0 home defeat to Bahrain, which was compounded by a frustrating 0-0 away draw with Indonesia, piled more pressure on the coach.
“It’s not where we want to be, naturally,” Johnson said. The Sydney Morning Herald.
‘We are disappointed with the result we got after the first two games, but we are certainly not panicking.
‘Right now, we need calm, collected leadership, and we need to ask the right questions and provide the right support to ensure Arnie and the team are ready for the upcoming match against China.
“That match will obviously be very important.”
Johnson added that the FA “has faith” in Arnold and anticipates that the Socceroos boss “will be will analyze where it went wrong and then find solutions.”
If the goal-shy Socceroos fail to beat China in their next World Cup qualifier on October 10, coach Graham Arnold could be sacked.
The Socceroos opened their World Cup qualifying campaign with a shock 1-0 defeat to Bahrain, followed by a frustrating 0-0 draw away to Indonesia (pictured is captain Mat Ryan).
Australia will face China on October 10 in Adelaide, before taking on Japan in Saitama five days later.
The Blue Samurai are flying through Group C, unbeaten in their first two matches, scoring 12 goals and conceding none.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, bringing the total to 48 participating nations.
Meanwhile, Football Australia is prepared to… appoint an interim Matildas coach within the next seven to ten days as a replacement for Tony Gustavsson.
Johnson confirmed the Matildas will face Chinese Taipei twice in December, with both games in Victoria at AAMI Park and at Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium.
They are also scheduled to face Germany on October 29 in Duisburg.