Australia isn't one of the biggest forces in world football but they have made their presence felt over the years. With just days left for the FIFA World Cup 2022 to kick off, expectations are high from the Socceroos' who were one of the last teams to qualify for the tournament after beating Peru in the playoffs.
This will be Australia's sixth World Cup appearance. The Socceroos' greatest result in the competition was reaching the round of 16 in Germany in 2006 and this time they will try to better their record. However, a lot depends on how they perform in the group stages. Here's how to watch the World Cup 2022 matches in Australia.
Australia at the Cup
Australia qualified for a fifth straight World Cup and find themselves in Group D alongside France, Denmark and Tunisia. They are placed in a challenging group this time around as well, with the defending world champions France, Tunisia and an in-form Denmark in Group D.
However, the Socceroos' will try and give in their best to advance to the round of 16 first.
Australia made it to the final 32 for the World Cup by beating Peru in the playoffs, thanks to a thrilling penalty shootout victory. Australia had to compete in two playoff games after losing to Saudi Arabia and Japan in the qualifying round.
However, they managed to maintain their composure on both occasions and excelled in both games. They advanced to the intercontinental playoff against Peru after defeating the United Arab Emirates in the Asian semifinals, winning in a shootout to go to the championship match.
The head coach, Graham Arnold, has a talent skill pool to pick from and the highest winning percentage (75 percent) of any Australian permanent manager. But despite all of that, he will need to take extraordinary action in order to keep up that impressive record.
Odd Hours
Fans in Australia will struggle with the timings of the match. Although it will be summer in Australia, most of the matches will be aired in the morning, as early as 3 am. The Qatari time zone (Arabia Standard Time — AST) isn't exactly kind to Australian viewers, although it could be worse when it comes to Socceroos matches.
When and Where
Australia's opener vs France will be held in early morning while the second match will be played at night. Here's Australia's fixture for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
November 23: Australia vs France, (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah), 6 am AEDT
November 26: Australia vs Tunisia, (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah), 9 pm AEDT
December 1: Australia vs Denmark, Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, 2 am (AEDT)
How to Watch
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be aired live on SBS and SBS VICELAND in Australia. SBS is available on free-to-air TV in Australia and the network secured the rights for the tournament all the way back in 2011.
SBS can be watched on terrestrial television with the channel provided freely to everywhere in Australia.
How to Live Stream
All 64 matches from the 2022 World Cup will also be streamed online via SBS On Demand. The streaming service is free to use but requires users to create an account consisting of a name and a valid email address.
Fans can also watch all 64 matches on most smart TVs and set-top boxes including Telstra TV, Fetch and Foxtel iQ.
