Australia tie ‘world-class’ Popovic down to new deal

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Australia have secured the future of “world-class” coach Tony Popovic on the eve of their World Cup opener.

The Socceroos take on Turkiye in their first group game on Saturday in Vancouver.

Australia qualified as runners-up in AFC third-round Group C behind Japan.

They were the only team to remain unbeaten against Japan in the qualifiers (a 1-1 away draw and a 1-0 home win), while their only defeat in that final round of qualifying came in a 1-0 home loss to Bahrain.

Popovic took over in September 2024, and he has now penned a deal to keep him in charge for an extra year.

Football Australia CEO, Martin Kugeler, said: “Securing Tony’s contract extension on the eve of the World Cup is a fantastic outcome. Tony is a world-class coach, and he has proven his ability to deliver results while developing talent at the same time. 

“Tony’s positive impact on the Socceroos and Football Australia has been clear, from securing direct qualification for the World Cup for the first time in 12 years, to building out the depth of the squad and laying the foundations for future success. We can see the growing excitement among Socceroos fans.”

We’re delighted to announce that Football Australia and CommBank #Socceroos Head Coach Tony Popovic have agreed to a contract extension through to the AFC Asian Cup 2027™. 

— CommBank Socceroos (@Socceroos) June 12, 2026

Popovic said: “I’m delighted that I will continue to coach the Socceroos through to the Asian Cup 2027.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to lead the Socceroos, and it is a role that I thoroughly enjoy and one I have never taken for granted.

“My absolute focus right now is on the FIFA World Cup 2026. I’m proud to lead my country into a World Cup, but most importantly, I want to ensure that our team is fully prepared and focused on our group matches against Turkiye, the United States, and Paraguay.”

This will be Australia’s seventh appearance and sixth straight participation in the World Cup.

They have never progressed past the round of 16, although their last appearance in 2022 marked the first time they won more than one match in a single edition (two).

Australia have lost more matches than any other team across the last five World Cups – 10 of 17 since 2006. They have also lost their opening game in five of six World Cup appearances, with the only exception being a 3-1 win over Japan in 2006.

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