Apostolos Stamatelopoulos named in Socceroos squad for World Cup qualifier

Subway Socceroos’ Head Coach, Graham Arnold has named an extended 25-man squad for Australia’s upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026™ Qualifiers against Bangladesh and Palestine.

The fixtures represent the final stage of Second Round Qualification for Australia, who have already secured their place in the Third Round following four consecutive wins during November 2023 and March 2024.

Graham Arnold’s side have been one of the best in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) throughout qualifying, currently undefeated with 15 goals scored and none conceded.

The Subway Socceroos will assemble in Thailand for an extended training camp before travelling to Bangladesh for their fixture at Bashundhara Kings Arena, Dhaka on Thursday, 6 June. The squad will then make the trip to Western Australia to take on Palestine at HBF Park on Tuesday, 11 June – the Subway Socceroos’ first game in Perth since 2018.

Alessandro Circati (Parma Calcio 1913) returns to the squad and is part of a West Australian contingent that features Cameron Burgess (Ipswich Town FC) fresh off his promotion to the English Premier League and Isuzu UTE A-League Men Golden Boot, Adam Taggart (Perth Glory FC).

Josh Nisbet (Central Coast Mariners FC) has earnt selection following his Isuzu UTE A-League Men Championship win over the weekend, with the diminutive midfielder also named Johnny Warren Medalist as the league’s best player of the 2023/24 season.

Nestory Irankunda (Adelaide United FC) will join his first senior men’s national team camp, having previously been involved in a train-on capacity when Australia hosted Ecuador in March 2023.

Daniel Arzani and Paul Izzo (Melbourne Victory FC) have been selected, while Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (Newcastle Jets FC) has been rewarded for a strong domestic season which featured 17 goals.

Cameron Devlin (Heart of Midlothian FC) returns to the national team and will feature alongside Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe (FC St. Pauli) fresh off promotion into the Bundesliga, and Kusini Yengi (Portsmouth FC) who will find himself in the EFL Championship next season after securing promotion with Pompey.

Subway Socceroos’ captain, Mat Ryan is one of several players who have been rested for this FIFA men’s international window following a grueling 18-months of both domestic and international football.

Subway Socceroos’ Head Coach, Graham Arnold said he had carefully managed the individual needs of some players amidst two extremely significant fixtures in shaping his side’s path to FIFA World Cup 2026™.

“I’ve spoken about how important these two games are when it comes to official FIFA rankings, and while we’ve qualified for Round Three it’s important that we take all six points,” Arnold said.

“It’s an expectation we set ourselves as a group and as always, getting our mentality right will be crucial to securing two wins and giving ourselves the highest possible ranking ahead of the draw for Round Three.

“We’ve got several players who’ve had significant workloads in recent times, and it’s important we give them a proper break. I want to ensure they’re physically and mentally prepared for another big 12-months of qualification.

“This has also allowed us to provide opportunities to players who have been performing well at their clubs as we continue to build depth right across the pitch.

“Our leadership group of Jackson (Irvine), Aziz (Behich) Mat (Leckie), Harry (Souttar) and Adam (Taggart) will have an important role to play throughout this camp in welcoming those players, as they demonstrate the core values that are central to the Socceroos’ culture.”

To find out all the latest information on fixtures, results and Second Round Qualification updates please click here. The Subway Socceroos FIFA World Cup 2026™ Qualifiers will be broadcast live thanks to Football Australia’s broadcast partner, 10 Paramount.