AFC U23 Asian Cup - Know your team: Australia

Jeddah: Australia will be determined to put their group stage exit in the previous edition behind them by shining at the AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026™.

The Olyroos missed out on the quarter-finals in 2024 after finishing third in their group, their exit prompted by goalless draws against Qatar and Jordan and losing 1-0 to Indonesia.

Factfile
Previous appearances: 6
Best finish: 3rd (2020)
2024 record: Group stage
How they qualified: Group D winners
Group D fixtures: v Thailand (Jan 8), v China PR (Jan 11), v Iraq (Jan 14)
Fun fact: Australia's group stage exit in 2024 came after having finished third in 2020 and fourth two years later.

#AFCU23 - 3rd Place Play-off: Australia 1-0 Uzbekistan

Australia’s best showing in the continental showpiece was a third-place finish in 2020 in Thailand, where they beat Uzbekistan 1-0 to secure qualification to the Tokyo Olympics. They lost 2-0 in the semi-finals against Saudi Arabia two years later in Uzbekistan and then fell 3-0 to Japan in the third-place playoffs.

More significantly, they are among the elite group of countries that include Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan who have never failed to qualify for the Finals.

Head coach Tony Vidmar has a wealth of firepower at his disposal. Seven different players found the back of the net in their 14-0 Group D defeat of Northern Mariana Islands – the most scored in a single match during the Qualifiers, and five in their 6-0 win against Timor-Leste.

All in all, the Olyroos scored the most goals in the Qualifiers - 20 - and just as impressively, kept clean sheets in all three matches to top their group.

A-League club Perth Glory’s Nathanael Blair (pictured above), who struck four times against Northern Mariana Islands, emerged among the tournament’s top scorers with five goals. The 21-year-old has a formidable partnership with three-goal hero Jing Reec, who plays his club football with Melbourne Victory.

Australia open their campaign against 2020 quarter-finalists Thailand and then face China PR, with whom they played out a goalless draw with in the Qualifiers. They close against Group D top seeds Iraq, the competition’s inaugural winners in 2013.

Know your team: Australia

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