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Popovic reveals squad selection plan ahead of FIFA World Cup
Jaiden Sciberras • May 28th, 2026 5:39 pm
Ahead of the June 1 deadline, Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has clarified his mentality surrounding the nation's prospective squad selection ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Just three days out from the official cut off, the Socceroos currently have 29 players at their pre-camp training, three over the 26-man limit for the major tournament. With the likes of Mitch Duke and Alex Robertson already cut from the squad, the remaining three days are crucial in of an incredibly tight squeeze for a place in Australia's international mix.
Speaking ahead of their international friendly against Mexico, Popovic explained that versatility is key in attracting a spot in the final squad.
"We have players that are very versatile, who can play in different positions," he told ESPN.
"We need to make a good decision based on versatility and also the player that's a specialist in his role - to see that the balance is right.
"This whole puzzle is about getting the right balance and profiles for players and different scenarios in games. I think we're certainly working towards that and the last piece is to pick the final 26 which we look forward to doing very soon.
"We have an idea, the area where a player may be added, or changed. The Mexico game can help in terms of seeing what we want to see. We may have an idea about a player that we want to give some minutes to in that game to see what he can do, and that might confirm something. But we're very close as it is now."
The Socceroos enter the World Cup slightly hampered by injuries, with Middlesbrough star Riley McGree and Blackburn full back Lewis Miller - two nailed-on starters for the national team - both set to miss the tournament with long-term setbacks.
That said, Popovic has immense confidence in the depth of the prospective squad.
"Injuries happen and occur, unfortunately," said Popovic.
"We saw even with Riley McGree getting injured, we've had a few other big ones, Nicholas D'Agostino here; Patrick Yazbek, Lewis Miller has been a long term.
"During my tenure, certainly that's been something that we've had to deal with throughout, long-term injuries. But we feel that we've constantly added players who have given us good depth in the squad, and we will need that again. So we're happy with how the camp's going."
The official squad is expected to be released following the Socceroos' friendly with hosts Mexico this Sunday at 11am AEST.
