Australia Football Team

The Socceroos, as the Australia football team are known, experienced a tense play off with Uruguay to qualify for the World Cup Finals in 2006. This is only the second finals appearance for the socceroos with the previous one also being in Germany in 1974.

The qualifying rounds in the Oceania group were a breeze for the Australian football team against minor nations such as Vanuatu & Solomon Islands. the Socceroos will undoubtably come up against stiffer opposition in Germany.

The World Cup play off games against Uruguay were both tense and exciting, with the Australia side losing 1-0 in the away leg in Montivideo and beating them in Sydney by the same margin in Sydney. This game went to extra time, where the teams could still not be separated, and penalties had to decide the tie.

The jubilant Australia team mobbed John Aloisi who had converted the telling penalty, and goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer who saved two.

The Australia footballl team will find it difficult to progress in the tournament, grouped with Brazil, Croatia and Japan, but have the right manager in Gus Hiddink.

The Australian national football team are ranked No 48 in the World by FIFA.