Football
AAP 2y

Socceroos to play New Zealand in two-game pre-World Cup series

The Socceroos have announced a second trans-Tasman match as part of their World Cup preparations, with Graham Arnold's team to host New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium on Sept. 22.

The clash with the All Whites, which will also be used to mark 100 years since Australia's first men's international match, will come three days before Australia travel to Auckland to face the same opponent at Eden Park on Sept. 25.

Arnold says no one should be in any doubt about the importance of both fixtures.

"There's three main parts to this," Arnold told AAP. "The first is that it's a hundred-year celebration for the Socceroos and that's an amazing thing for the players to be a part of.

"The second thing is it gives the fans -- and I'm appealing to all the Queensland fans and fans across the country to get Suncorp for a farewell game, to say goodbye to the boys and show their great support.

"The third thing is there's no such thing as friendlies, especially against a rival such as New Zealand. It's up to the players and it's an opportunity for the players ... their last chance to show me what they've got. If someone comes out and stars in those games, well then there's a good chance they'll be selected."

- Subscribe to ESPN AU/NZ's football podcasts
- The Far Post | The National Curriculum | More

It's the first time the Socceroos have played a game in Brisbane since a 1-1 draw with South Korea in the first home game of Arnold's tenure back in November 2018.

The announcement was made on Tuesday in Brisbane along with confirmation the Matildas will also play a match at the venue, against Canada on Sept. 3.

Tony Gustavsson's team has already confirmed it will play the Olympic gold medallists in Sydney on Sept. 6.

The Socceroos' two matches against New Zealand will be part of Australia's warm-up for November's 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Australia begin their campaign in Doha against world champions France on Nov. 23 with further group stage matches against Tunisia and Denmark.

^ Back to Top ^