Australia now have many players plying their trade in Europe's top leagues and they should not be underestimated despite their big World Cup odds.
Australia are still some way off being good enough to win the World Cup as their World Cup odds would suggest but they are capable of causing a few upsets and a very decent side.
| Year | Stage of Exit |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Eliminated at the Group Stage |
| 2006 | Eliminated by Italy in Second Round |
| 2002 | Did Not Qualify |
| 1998 | Did Not Qualify |
| 1994 | Did Not Qualify |
| 1990 | Did Not Qualify |
These were the top World Cup bets on Australia at the most recent World Cup:
1. Australia to be eliminated at the Group Stage
2. Australia to finish third in Group D
3. Australia to gain four points in Group D
4. Brett Holman to be Australia's top scorer
Australia take part in the Asian qualification process, where there are four or five places at the World Cup 2014 up for grabs, depending on how the result of the World Cup playoff goes.
| Date | Team | Scores | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
This is the Australia squad that narrowly missed out on qualification from the group stage at the most recent World Cup.
| Goalkeepers | Mark Schwarzer (Fulham), Adam Federici (Reading), Brad Jones (Middlesbrough) |
| Defenders | Lucas Neill (Galatasaray), Craig Moore (unattached), Scott Chipperfield (Basel), David Carney (Twente Enschede), Luke Wilkshire (Dynamo Moscow), Mark Milligan (JEF United), Michael Beauchamp (Al-Jazira) |
| Midfielders | Tim Cahill (Everton), Mark Bresciano (Palermo) Vince Grella (Blackburn), Brett Emerton (Blackburn), Jason Culina (Gold Coast), Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar), Carl Valeri (Sassuolo), Mile Jedinak (Antalyaspor), Richard Garcia (Hulll), Dario Vidosic (Nuremberg) |
| Forwards |
Josh Kennedy (Nagoya), Nikita Rukavytsya (Twente Enschede), Harry Kewell (Galatasaray) |