Australia
- Tim Cahill – Goals: 49
- Damian Mori – Goals: 29
- Archie Thompson – Goals: 27
- Damian Mori – Goals: 26
- Attila Abonyi – Goals: 25
Tim Cahill is Australia’s all time leading goalscorer and scored at three different World Cups. Cahill is a one-time Ballon d’Or nominee and a Millwall and Everton legend. An aggressive box-to-box midfielder, Cahill was known for his heading ability despite his 5’10” height. He won both an OFC and AFC cup with Australia.
In 2012 Harry Kewell was voted Australia’s greatest ever footballer. Kewell scored a crucial goal vs. Croatia in 2006 that sent Australia through to their first World Cup knockout stage. Kewell won a UEFA Champions League with Liverpool and scored 17 goals in 58 appearances for Australia.
Mark Schwarzer is considered one of the best Premier League goalies of all time. He played for Australia for 20 years, from 1993-2013, and made 109 appearances. Schwarzer’s two saves in a penalty kick shootout vs. Uruguay were instrumental in Australia qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.
Mark Viduka captained the Australia national football team in their best World Cup performance, in 2006. Viduka, a forward, scored 30 goals in just 37 league appearances for Celtic from 1998-2000 and won three Croatian league titles with Dinamo Zagreb. Viduka scored 11 goals in 43 matches for Australia.
Johnny Warren, nicknamed Captain Socceroo, may have had a bigger impact on soccer in Australia than any other player. Warren captained the Australia national team in the 60’s and 70’s and made 42 appearances. The A-League MVP award is named after Warren and he was heavily involved with growing the sport in Australia after he retired.
In 2006, Australia qualified for their first World Cup since 1974 and got off to an excellent start. Despite trailing 1-0 for the majority of their match vs. Japan, Australia went on a late scoring spree. Tim Cahill scored twice starting in the 84th minute and John Aloisi added another as Australia picked up a late 3-1 win.
The Socceroos fell to Brazil 2-0 in their next match as Adriano and Fred got on the scoresheet. In the group stage finale, Harry Kewell scored the game-tying goal vs. Croatia in a 2-2 draw. The point was enough for Australia to advance to their first ever knockout stage.
In the round of 16, Australia faced three-time champions Italy. The Azzurri’s Marco Materazzi was sent off controversially but the Socceroos were unable to capitalize. With the match at 0-0 late into stoppage time, Italy were awarded an equally controversial penalty. Francesco Totti converted and the Italians went on to win their fourth World Cup. Australia had a lot to be proud of in their first knockout stage appearance.
Australia’s 2010 World Cup performance is generally seen as incredibly disappointing, given coach Holger Osieck’s failed defensive tactics. However, 2014 was the first time Australia failed to register a single point at the World Cup. Part of it, undoubtedly, is the group Australia were drawn into.
The Socceroos had defending World Cup champions Spain, 2010 finalists Netherlands and a dangerous Chile side in the group. Australia’s first match vs. Chile was their best chance to win but they lost 3-1. With just over 35 minutes to play vs. the Netherlands, Australia led 2-1. However, Robin van Perise and Memphis Depay were on target to secure a comeback win for the Oranje. Playing solely for pride in their last match, Australia fell to Spain 3-0 and finished with a -6 goal difference.
Australia National Football Team History
20th Century
Australia played their first international soccer game in 1922 vs. New Zealand but lost 3-1. The Australia national football team weren’t very competitive in the early years as air travel was often prohibitively expensive. So, Australia had to settle for playing New Zealand and national teams on tour in Oceania.
In 1956, Melbourne hosted the Olympics and the Australian team played in a big tournament for the first time. Their performance, however, was disappointing. In the coming years, Australia came close to a World Cup berth but lost in qualifying playoffs in both 1966 and 1970.
The first Australia FIFA World Cup appearance was in 1974 but the Socceroos didn’t do as well as hoped. West and East Germany picked up shutout wins over Australia in the first two matches, eliminating them from knockout stage contention. Australia did pick up their first World Cup point in a scoreless draw vs. Chile in the group stage finale.
The Socceroos first won a continental tournament in 1980 at the OFC Nations Cup. Ian Hunter and Eddie Krnecevic scored five goals each. One of Australia’s best ever wins came in 1988, when they defeated defending World Cup champions Argentina 4-1 in the Australian Bicentennial Gold Cup.
Australia national football team won their second OFC Nations Cup in 1996, qualifying for the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup. The Socceroos did well, drawing with Brazil 0-0 in the group stage and defeating Uruguay in the semifinals 1-0. However, Brazil defeated Australia 6-0 in the final in a group stage rematch.
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Australia National Football Team Records
21st Century
Four years later at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, Australia defeated defending World Cup champions France in the group stage. With a win over Brazil in the third place match, Australia won the bronze.
In 2005, Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation but went through Oceania Qualifying for World Cup 2006. In the intercontinental playoff, Australia national football team lost the first leg 1-0 to Uruguay. In Sydney in the second leg, Mark Bresciano scored a first half goal to level the fixture. After extra time, Socceroos goalie Mark Schwarzer made two saves to send Australia to their first World Cup since 1974.
Australia national football team were the second-lowest ranked team heading into Germany 2006 but got their first ever win at a World Cup in their opener. Tim Cahill scored twice as the Socceroos scored three goals in the last seven minutes vs. Japan in a 3-1 win. Australia lost to Brazil 2-0 and drew with Croatia to advance to the round of 16. In Australia’s first knockout stage appearance, Italy defeated Australia 1-0 on a controversial late penalty.
In their first AFC World Cup qualifying campaign, Australia topped their group and qualified for the 2010 World Cup. At South Africa 2010, The Socceroos finished with an identical 1-1-1 record to 2006 but were eliminated in the group stage.
Four years later at Brazil 2014, Australia national football team were drawn into the group of death. They dropped all three matches, to Chile, Spain and the Netherlands and went home early. However, they were praised for their competitive performances.
In 2015, Australia hosted the AFC Asian Cup for the first time. Despite losing to South Korea in their final group stage match, wins over Kuwait and Oman were enough to see them through. The Socceroos got consecutive 2-0 wins over China and the UAE to advance to to a second straight final. In a rematch vs. South Korea, Australia won 2-1 in extra time to win their first title.
Australia made their fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup in 2018 but only came away with a point. They were the only winless AFC team at the tournament. The Socceroos qualified for Qatar 2022 in dramatic fashion, with a penalty shootout victory over Peru. Coach Graham Arnold subbed out starting keeper Mat Ryan and replaced him with Andrew Redmayne just for the shootout. Redmayne’s unorthodox dancing routine before Peru’s penalty kicks seemed to have worked as he made the winning save.
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