Graham Arnold has stepped down as head coach of the Socceroos ahead of Australia’s next World Cup qualifier in October.
Arnold’s departure comes after a disastrous start to the third round of World Cup qualifying, where the team picked up just one point from a possible six in the opening two games against Bahrain and Indonesia.
Having led the Socceroos since 2018, Arnold has overseen the team’s best-ever finish at a men’s World Cup, but that result was book-ended by two quarterfinal exits at the Asian Cup, at which many expected final-four finishes.
The 61-year-old went precariously close to getting the sack in 2022 after the Socceroos torpedoed their hopes of direct World Cup qualification, having to rely on Andrew Redmayne’s penalty shootout heroics against Peru to get to Qatar.
Once there, Australia edged past both Denmark and Tunisia before narrowly falling to eventual winners Argentina in the round of 16.
Following the Socceroos’ performance in Qatar, Arnold was rewarded with a new four-year deal by Football Australia. He reportedly turned down approaches to coach at club level in order to guide Australia to the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
More to come.
