Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Australia has featured in three previous World Cups, with their appearance at the 2010 finals in South Africa marking their first participation as a member of the Asian Football Confederation.
At the World Cups in West Germany (1974) and Germany (2006), they qualified as part of the Oceania Football Federation (OFC).
The Round of 16 finish in 2006 is Australia’s best finish at a World Cup, with the Socceroos bowing out at the group stage on their debut in 1974 and then again in 2010.
After failing to find the net in 1974, Tim Cahill became the first Australian to score in a World Cup, with his double helping the Socceroos register their maiden victory with an extraordinary 3-1 come-from-behind win over Japan in Kaiserslautern.
Cahill went on to become Australia’s leading goalscorer at the World Cup when the former Everton forward scoring his third goal in their 2-1 victory over Serbia at South Africa 2010.
World Cup Fact File:
Previous Appearances:
3 (2010, 2006, 1974)
World Cup Debut:
14/06/74, Hamburg, versus West Germany
First Scorer:
12/06/06, Tim Cahill, versus Japan
Best Performance:
Round of 16 (2006)
Most Goals:
Tim Cahill (3)
Overall record:
PWDLFA
10235817
Results and Scorers:
Germany 1974*
Group Stage:
14/06/74
East Germany 2 (Colin Curran (58 og, Jochim Streich 72)
Australia 0
18/06/1974
Australia 0
West Germany 3 (Wolfgang Overath 12, Bernd Cullmann 34, Gerd Muller 53)
22/06/1974
Australia 0
Chile 0
Germany 2006*
Group Stage:
12/06/06
Australia 3 (Tim Cahill 84, 89, John Aloisi 90+2)
Japan 1 (Shunsuke Nakamura 26)
18/06/2006
Brazil 2 (Adriano 49, Fred 90)
Australia 0
22/06/2006
Croatia 2 (Darijo Sana 2, Nico Kovac 56)
Australia 2 (Craig Moore 38, Harry Kewell 79)
Round of 16:
26/06/06
Italy 1 (Francesco Totti 90+5)
Australia 0
South Africa 2010
Group Stage:
13/06/10
Germany 4 (Lucas Podolski 8, Miroslav Klose 26, Thomas Muller 68, Cacau 70)
Australia 0
19/06/10
Ghana 1 (Asamoah Gyan 25)
Australia 1 (Brett Holman 11)
23/06/10
Australia 2 (Tim Cahill 69, Brett Holman 73)
Serbia 1 (Marco Pentelic 84)
* qualified as part of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) before becoming a member of the AFC in January, 2006