The Socceroos, Australia's national soccer team, have been drawn into Group C for the third round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying, facing Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, and Indonesia. The top two teams from each group will directly qualify for the World Cup, with third and fourth-placed teams entering another stage. The tournament, expanding to 48 teams, will be jointly hosted by Canada, the USA, and Mexico. Australia, led by Graham Arnold, aims to secure a spot in the finals by finishing in the top two of their group after cruising through the second qualifying round with a strong performance. The draw also revealed matchups for other Asian teams like South Korea, Iran, and Iraq in their respective groups for the qualifying rounds, with the competition set to run from September 2024 to June 2025.