Successor to Arnold
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Former national player Tony Popovic is the new coach of the Australian national team. The 51-year-old takes over from Graham Arnold, who had been in office since 2018 but resigned after the disappointing start to the World Cup qualifiers.
Popovic’s contract is valid until the end of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, but participation is anything but certain. The opening qualifying round saw a 0-1 draw against Bahrain and a 0-0 draw against Indonesia. They are currently fifth out of six in Group 3, and now face China (October 10) and Japan (October 15). Australia last missed a World Cup in 2002.
Popovic played 59 international matches for Australia from 1995 to 2006 and took part in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He most recently worked as a coach at Melbourne Victory from 2021 until last summer, and in 2014 he led the Western Sydney Wanderers to win the AFC Champions League.
