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Bosnich: It's time for Australia to stop being just a gallant side
SEN • July 4th, 2026 2:43 pm
Following their exit from the FIFA World Cup, Mark Bosnich has called for the powerbrokers within Australian football to provide a better environment for its players.
Australia’s run at the 48-team tournament has come to an end in Dallas on Saturday morning (AEST) after a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss against Egypt in the Round of 32, marking their second appearance in the knockouts in as many appearances.
This has marked a positive progression for the side that has qualified for the last six World Cups.
But there are concerns that without investment in facilities, that progress could be lost.
One of the main issues plauging the Socceroos in recent time has been the lack of a permanent home.
At the 2022 World Cup, Australia was just one of four nations without one, with FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and AFC President Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa having now written to both the Australian and NSW Governments about the issue to find a solution.
Football Australia have also had funding issues, having reported a loss of $15.3 million in its 2025 financial report, resulting in the federation cutting 20% of its staff.
Speaking after their defeat, the former Socceroo believes there needs to be improvement in facilities across the board to avoid repeating the same conversations around this issue.
“We're close, but there's still quite some time to go," Bosnich said on SEN’s The Global Game.
“Now, this is not the time and place to go into that, but they and when I say they, the powers that be in football still need to get their heads around providing the best environment that they possibly can for young girls and boys in this country, and they don't.
“It's quite simple. I've seen it now, I've been back since 2008, so nearly 20 years, and they don't.
“We're having the same conversation we had 20 years ago. What if this, what if that?
“You know what, take away all the excuses, and you know what, maybe one day we won't be having this conversation; maybe one day we're having this conversation like Argentina now saying, oh, you know what, Cape Verde was very gallant but obviously we went and won anyway.
“It's time for us to stop being the gallant, the brave, competitive one and time to move in a further direction forward.”
The Socceroos now turn their attention to the AFC Asian Cup, which will be played in Saudi Arabia next January.
