Perth Glory talisman Adam Taggart and Melbourne City star Aziz Behich are in the Subway Socceroos squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifiers against Bahrain and Indonesia.
Taggart and Behich are the two Isuzu UTE A-League representatives in the extended 24-man squad for the start of Round 3 qualifiers as Graham Arnold’s Australia prepare to host Bahrain on the Gold Coast on Thursday, September 5 before travelling to Jakarta to face Indonesia on Tuesday, September 10.
The A-Leagues pair were in the squad for June’s World Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh and Palestine, with Taggart scoring against the latter in a 5-0 rout.
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“Our full focus is on these opening two games and starting strongly. Two positive results to open Round Three not only builds belief within the group but gives us great momentum as we move into what will be three consecutive windows,” said head coach Arnold.
“The standards we set are always high and they’ve played a significant role in the growth of this group and what we were able to achieve in Round Two. The players understand what’s expected of them in terms of their focus, preparation and energy in camp as we move into the next stage of qualification.
“We’ve got a great mix of players who’ve been through this phase of qualification before and can lead the way for some of the younger members of our squad, their experience will play an important role throughout this journey.”
Last season, Taggart became just the fourth player ever to win the Isuzu UTE A-League Golden Boot award on multiple occasions, adding to his 2013-14 gong to join an exclusive club alongside the likes of Jamie Maclaren (5), Besart Berisha (2) and Shane Smeltz (2), after scoring 20 goals in 25 matches.
Behich, meanwhile, is City’s new captain heading into the 2024-25 campaign.
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Match Schedule
Subway Socceroos v Bahrain
Thursday, 5 September 2024
Robina Stadium, Gold Coast
Kick-off: 8:00pm AEST
Broadcast: Paramount+
Indonesia v Subway Socceroos
Tuesday 10 September 2024
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta
Kick-off: 7:00pm local /10:00pm AEST
Broadcast: Paramount+
| Name | Current Club, Country | ‘A’ Caps (Goals) | Junior Club (Member Federation/Country) |
| Keanu BACCUS | Mansfield Town, England | 19 (1) | Parklea FC / Football NSW |
| Aziz BEHICH | Melbourne City, Australia | 71 (2) | Meadow Park SC / Football VIC |
| Martin BOYLE | Hibernian, Scotland | 29 (9) | Lewis United FC / Montrose FC (Scotland) |
| Cameron BURGESS | Ipswich Town, England | 9 (0) | ECU Joondalup / Football West |
| Alessandro CIRCATI | Parma Calcio 1913, Italy | 2 (0) | Perth SC / Football West |
| Thomas DENG | Albirex Niigata, Japan | 4 (0) | Adelaide Blue Eagles / Football SA |
| Cameron DEVLIN | Heart of Midlothian, Scotland | 4 (0) | Sutherland Sharks FC / Football NSW |
| Mitchell DUKE | Machida Zelvia, Japan | 40 (12) | Liverpool Rangers SC / Football NSW |
| Joe GAUCI (Gk) | Aston Villa, England | 4 (0) | Cumberland United FC / Football SA |
| Craig GOODWIN | Al Wehda, Saudi Arabia | 25 (6) | Munno Para City FC / Football SA |
| Nestory IRANKUNDA | Bayern Munich, Germany | 2 (1) | Adelaide Croatia Raiders SC / Football SA |
| Jackson IRVINE | St Pauli, Germany | 70 (11) | Ringwood City SC / Football VIC |
| Paul IZZO (Gk) | Randers, Denmark | 0 | Campbelltown City SC / Football SA |
| Awer MABIL | Grasshopper, Switzerland | 33 (9) | Saint Augustines FC / Football SA |
| Connor METCALFE | St. Pauli, Germany | 23 (0) | South Cardiff FC / NNSW Football |
| Lewis MILLER | Hibernian, Scotland | 6 (0) | Pittwater RSL FC / Football NSW |
| Joshua NISBET | Ross County, Scotland | 2 (0) | St Mary’s FC / Football QLD |
| Aiden O’NEILL | Standard de Liege, Belgium | 13 (0) | University of Queensland Football Club / Football QLD |
| Kye ROWLES | Heart of Midlothian, Scotland | 21 (1) | Palm Beach SC / Football QLD |
| Mat RYAN (c) | AS Roma, Italy | 93 (0) | Blacktown City FC / Football NSW |
| Sam SILVERA | Portsmouth, England | 6 (0) | Blacktown City FC / Football NSW |
| Harry SOUTTAR | Sheffield United, England | 30 (11) | Brechin City Boys Club (Scotland) |
| Adam TAGGART | Perth Glory, Australia | 20 (7) | ECU Joondalup / Football West |
| Kusini YENGI | Portsmouth, England | 8 (4) | Fulham United FC / Football SA |
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