

Australia coach Tony Popovic rang the changes Friday for the Socceroos' crunch World Cup qualifiers, calling up six uncapped players and turning to two others who have not seen international action since 2022.
The Socceroos sit second in Asian qualifying Group C, behind runaway leaders Japan, on seven points with four games left. The other four teams in the group all have six points, making Australia's clash against Indonesia in Sydney next week and a subsequent match in China critically important.
They need to finish in the top two of the group to guarantee their spot at the 2026 World Cup in North America or potentially face another round of qualifying.
Popovic's hand was forced to some degree by injuries with regulars Harry Souttar, Riley McGree and Jordy Bos among five players from his last squad currently sidelined.