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"Winnable": Why Bosnich believes Australia can top Group D
SEN • December 6th, 2025 10:01 am
Australia has been drawn in Group D for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, facing host nation USA, Paraguay and one of Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkiye or Romania to open their campaign.
Having been seeded in Pot 2 for the draw, the Socceroos were already given a favourable hand, unable to draw a number of top competition after squeezing into the second-best crop of qualified nations.
And having drawn the USA from Pot 1, Australia has avoided a top 10 nation, with USA (ranked 14th) and Paraguay (ranked 39th) drawn from surrounding pots.
While Turkiye (ranked 25th) do have the edge on Australia in the rankings (26), Slovakia (45), Kosovo (80) and Romania (47) would be the most favourable of results.
Speaking on Gloves Off with Mark Bosnich, football expert Max Rushden believes that the Socceroos have a real opportunity to top Group D.
“What’s so tricky about this group for Australia – it’s winnable,” Rushden said on SEN 1170.
“You’ve got a dream group. You could win all three, and you could lose all three. There’s no Haiti, there’s no Curacao, with respect to those sides, in this group.
“Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkiye and Romania can all play; they will all think Australia is a winnable game for them. The USA looked good against (Australia), and they’ve looked good recently, (Mauricio) Pochettino (manager) has got them working.
“It’s so hard, and it’s obviously so far away…”
“I actually think that (Australia) will quality for the knockout stages, there is no doubt about that,” Bosnich added.
“How far they go after that? Knockout stages, one off games, you never quite know. After looking at the group, my feelings and thoughts have not changed at all, but I am exactly with you.
“We could win those three games; we could lose those three games. In terms of the opening game, it could be one of Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo. That will not be easy. Anyone who has watched European Qualifiers will have seen that all of those teams have done fabulously well.
“In terms of Paraguay – great tradition, great history. They haven’t been in a World Cup for quite some time, another team that for the Socceroos, are beatable.
“The USA, host nation. The host nation is very, very difficult to beat, no matter where you’re playing or what type of competition. Generally, this is why they are seeded, because FIFA, or UEFA or whoever the organisers are – the further the host nations go, the better for the tournament.
“Opening game – it’s going to be so important that we don’t lose. I don’t think it’s as important as it was in the past, because of that third-place scenario that could eventuate.
“What’s important for Australia is that the concentrate on themselves more than they concentrate on the competition. I do believe that they will get to the Round of 32, whether it’s in third place, second or first.”
Australia’s group fixtures have been revealed, while the remainder of the groups can be seen here.
