Mariners star rewarded for sparkling A-Leagues form with first Socceroos call-up

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Josh Nisbet has earned the first Socceroos call-up of his career, coming into Graham Arnold’s squad for two upcoming World Cup qualifiers in place of injured full-back Lewis Miller.

Arnold named his 23-player squad for a pair of qualifiers against Lebanon in Sydney (March 21) and Canberra (March 26) in midweek and although Arnold elected not to select Nisbet, he admitted the Mariners star was “doing fantastic” in the Isuzu UTE A-League and hinted at an opportunity to break into the international fold further down the qualification line.

But an injury to Miller in the first half of Hibernian FC’s clash with Ross County in the Scottish Premiership just hours after the current squad confirmation opened the door for Nisbet to claim a spot in the squad set to face Lebanon this month.

The first senior call-up of Nisbet’s career extends the A-Leagues contingent to four in the current squad, with the midfielder set to join Melbourne Victory striker Bruno Fornaroli, Perth Glory co-captain Adam Taggart and Western Sydney Wanderers star Brandon Borrello in camp.

The 24-year-old has a league-high seven assists in domestic competition this season, has earned back-to-back Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) Player of the Month awards and has scored in his last two Isuzu UTE A-League fixtures – including Round 20’s Goal of the Week.

Nisbet has played every single minute of the Mariners’ league campaign this season, and has been one of the competition’s best and most consistent performers throughout the campaign.

The Socceroos continue the second round of qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in March, facing Lebanon at CommBank Stadium on Thursday, March 21 and at GIO Stadium in Canberra on Tuesday, March 26.

Socceroos squad – March World Cup qualifiers