AUSTRALIA - HOME SHIRT 2016
Australia's national team are Oceania-turned-Asian football's pioneers, representing a nation whose footballing story has spanned both confederations and produced one of the most fiercely loyal fanbases in the international game. Affectionately known as the Socceroos for their distinctive green-and-gold colours, the Australians are reigning AFC Asian Cup champions (lifted as hosts in 2015), four-time OFC Nations Cup winners, and a side that has qualified for six previous FIFA World Cups (1974, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022).
This legacy has been shaped by legendary figures such as Mark Schwarzer, Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Lucas Neill, and all-time top scorer Tim Cahill, whose brilliance has defined Australian football across generations.
Australia wore this iconic home shirt throughout 2016, under former Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou - the Greek-Australian boss who had led the Socceroos to AFC Asian Cup glory on home soil the year before with a 2-1 extra-time win over South Korea in the Sydney final. The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign continued through the calendar year with Australia in third-round AFC Group B alongside Japan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq and Thailand. Postecoglou's possession-based, three-at-the-back system had become the Socceroos' signature.
As of 2026, Australia are heading to the FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico under former Western Sydney Wanderers coach Tony Popovic, who succeeded Graham Arnold in 2024. Drawn into Group D alongside Turkey, the United States and Paraguay, the Socceroos open their campaign against the Turks and with a 26-man squad mixing experience with seventeen first-time World Cup players, the Socceroos travel to North America aiming for a return to the round of 16.
Follow the Socceroos on X: @Socceroos
