Three Hibs players in Socceroos’ squad for games against Indonesia and China

Subway Socceroos’ Head Coach, Tony Popovic has named an extended 26-player squad ahead of Australia’s AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 fixtures against Indonesia and China PR. 

And it includes Hibs on-loan midfielder Nectar Triantis, one of six uncapped players selected. 

Triantis is joined by Hibs team mates Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller and former Hibs player Jackson Irvine. 

The March FIFA Men’s International Window will see Australia take on Indonesia at the Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney on Thursday, 20 March (kick-off 8.00pm AEDT) and China PR at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Hangzhou on Tuesday, 25 March (7.00pm local/10.00pm AEDT). 

Australia currently sits second in Group C with four fixtures remaining in Round Three qualifying, having most recently shared the points with Saudi Arabia (home) and Bahrain (away) in matches held in November 2024. 

The clash with Indonesia will be the Subway Socceroos’ first at the newly reconstructed Sydney Football Stadium in nearly a decade, with their last appearance at the venue a FIFA World Cup 2018™ Qualifier against the United Arab Emirates in March 2017. 

Subway Socceroos’ Head Coach, Tony Popovic said the extended opportunity to prepare leading into these World Cup Qualifiers had proven invaluable. 

“It was a whirlwind start to the beginning of my tenure with the national team, and since November we’ve had the chance to review and assess all facets of our program ahead of these Qualifiers,” Popovic said. 

“We understand the importance of these upcoming games and are excited by the opportunity to further cement our position in the group’s automatic qualifying positions. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing the players and getting the squad together on the pitch in preparation for what will be a great occasion at the Sydney Football Stadium.” 

Scheduled to be played from September 2024 to June 2025, the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 features three groups of six teams playing in a home-and-away, round-robin format, offering direct qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ for the top two finishers of each group.