Australia Matches at World Cup 2010

date Time (US/Eastern) Match/Program Channel Broadcast Jun 13, 2010 2:30pm Germany vs Australia *result ABC, Al Jazeera Sports, Al Jazeera Sports Broadband, Andina de Television, Bangkok Broadcasting TV, BWIN, Cameroon Radio Television, Canal + Liga Espana, Canal 9 Paraguay, Canal Plus France, Caracol TV, CBC, CBC-bold, cbcsports.ca, CCTV, China Central Television Broadba, DirecTV Latin America, ENTV Television Algerienne, ERT Greece, ESPN 3D USA, ESPN HD Brasil, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Radio, ESPN Star Sports, ESPN3.com USA, ESPND, FIFA.com, France 2, Futbol de Primera Radio, GBC, Globo.com, i-Cable Sports, ITV 1, ITV HD, ITV Sport Broadband, Meridiano Television, Metro TV, MioTV Singtel, Radiodiffusion Television Ivorie, RAI Uno, RCN Television, Red Global, Repretel, RTE Ireland, RTE Two, RTL Television, RTS Senegal, RTV Slovenia, SBS Korea, SBS One Australia, SIC, Sky Deutschland, Sky Italia, Sky Latin America, SKY PerfecTV, Sky Sports HD 1, Slovak TV, Societe Radio-Canada, SportsMax, SporTV Brasil, Starhub, Super Sport 3, SuperSport Broadband, TalkSport Radio, TCS - Canal 2 y Canal 4, Tele Centrafrique, Telefe Argentina, Televicentro Honduras, Televisa Mexico, Televisao de Cabo Verde, Televisao de Mocambique, Televisao Publica de Angola, Television Nationale Congolaise, TF1 Broadband, Thai TV3, TLN, TRT Turkey, TV3 Ghana, TVN Online, Univision, Univision Futbol, YLE Broadband, ZDF more channels... Live  Jun 13, 2010 6:00pm Germany vs Australia SBS Two Australia Repeat  Jun 13, 2010 7:00pm Germany vs Australia *Italian Broadcast TLN Repeat  Jun 13, 2010 10:00pm Germany vs Australia SBS Two Australia, Telefutura Repeat  Jun 14, 2010 1:15am Germany vs Australia CBC-bold Repeat  Jun 14, 2010 8:45am Germany vs Australia CBC-bold Repeat  Jun 14, 2010 12:00pm Germany vs Australia SBS One Australia Repeat  Jun 14, 2010 11:30pm Germany vs Australia ESPN Star Sports Repeat  Jun 19, 2010 10:00am Ghana vs Australia *result Al Jazeera Sports, Al Jazeera Sports Broadband, Andina de Television, ARD, ARD Broadband, Bangkok Broadcasting TV, BBC HD, BBC Sport, BBC Sport Broadband, Cameroon Radio Television, Canal + Liga Espana, Canal 9 Paraguay, Canal Plus France, CBC, CBC-bold, cbcsports.ca, CCTV, China Central Television Broadba, DirecTV Latin America, ENTV Television Algerienne, ERT Greece, ESPN, ESPN BR, ESPN HD Brasil, ESPN Radio, ESPN Star Sports, ESPN3.com USA, ESPND, FIFA.com, France 2, Futbol de Primera Radio, GBC, Globo.com, i-Cable Sports, Meridiano Television, Metro TV, MioTV Singtel, NOS Television Netherlands, Radiodiffusion Television Ivorie, Repretel, RTE Ireland, RTE Two, RTL Television, RTS Senegal, RTV Slovenia, SBS Korea, SBS One Australia, SIC, Sky Deutschland, Sky Italia, Sky Latin America, SKY PerfecTV, Sky Sports HD 1, Slovak TV, Societe Radio-Canada, SportsMax, SporTV Brasil, Starhub, Super Sport 3, SuperSport Broadband, TalkSport Radio, TCS - Canal 2 y Canal 4, Tele Centrafrique, Televicentro Honduras, Televisa Mexico, Televisao de Cabo Verde, Televisao de Mocambique, Televisao Publica de Angola, Television Nationale Congolaise, TF1 Broadband, Thai TV3, TLN, TRT Turkey, TV3 Ghana, TVN Online, Univision, Univision Futbol, YLE Broadband more channels... Live  Jun 19, 2010 6:00pm Ghana vs Australia SBS Two Australia Repeat  Jun 19, 2010 8:00pm Ghana vs Australia ESPNCC Repeat  Jun 19, 2010 10:00pm Ghana vs Australia SBS Two Australia Repeat  Jun 20, 2010 12:00pm Ghana vs Australia SBS One Australia Repeat  Jun 23, 2010 2:30pm Australia vs Serbia *result Al Jazeera Sports, Al Jazeera Sports Broadband, Andina de Television, Bangkok Broadcasting TV, Cameroon Radio Television, Canal + Liga Espana, Canal 9 Paraguay, Canal Plus France, CBC, CBC-bold, cbcsports.ca, CCTV, China Central Television Broadba, DirecTV Latin America, ENTV Television Algerienne, ERT Greece, ESPN HD Brasil, ESPN Radio, ESPN Star Sports, ESPN2, ESPN3.com USA, FIFA.com, Futbol de Primera Radio, Globo.com, i-Cable Sports, ITV 1, ITV HD, ITV Sport Broadband, Meridiano Television, MioTV Singtel, NOS Television Netherlands, Radiodiffusion Television Ivorie, Repretel, RTE Ireland, RTL Television, RTS Senegal, RTV Slovenia, SBS Korea, SBS One Australia, SIC, Sky Deutschland, Sky Italia, Sky Latin America, SKY PerfecTV, Sky Sports 1, Slovak TV, Societe Radio-Canada, SportsMax, SporTV Brasil, Starhub, Super Sport 3, SuperSport Broadband, TalkSport Radio, TCS - Canal 2 y Canal 4, Tele Centrafrique, Telefutura, Televicentro Honduras, Televisa Mexico, Televisao de Cabo Verde, Televisao de Mocambique, Televisao Publica de Angola, Television Nationale Congolaise, TF1 Broadband, Thai TV3, TLN, TRT Turkey, TVN Online, Univision, Univision Futbol, YLE Broadband more channels... Live  Jun 23, 2010 4:30pm Australia vs Serbia SBS Two Australia Repeat  Jun 23, 2010 11:00pm Australia vs Serbia SBS Two Australia Repeat  Jun 24, 2010 12:00am Australia vs Serbia ESPNCC Repeat  Jul 2, 2010 6:00am Germany vs Australia SBS Two Australia Repeat  Jul 5, 2010 6:00am Ghana vs Australia SBS Two Australia Repeat  Jul 6, 2010 6:00am Australia vs Serbia SBS Two Australia Repeat

Australia World Cup Profile

Now, LiveSoccerTV.com takes a tour in Australia before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as it uncovers all the details on their qualification, as well as their expectations in the tournament.

Australia – The country, the football

The Commonwealth of Australia, popularly referred to as Australia, is a country located in the Southern Hemisphere of the globe. Also situated in the Pacific Ocean, it is the main territory of the Australian continent, and its nearby countries are Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and New Zealand.

Australia – previously occupied by several individual nations of indigenous Australians – now contains over 22,000,000 people; all living within a total area of approximately 7,617,930 km2.

The national football team of Australia is recognized as the Socceroos, and their nickname comes from the fact that the country possesses almost as much kangaroos as human beings. As a result, their name originates from the combination of the two words “Soccer” and “Kangaroos”.

Australia have won the Oceania Football Confederation tournament on four occasions, despite having participated in the FIFA World Cup competition only once, in 2006. Their qualification for the 2010 edition of the World Cup now makes it the second time for the Socceroos, but nevertheless, they are far from being considered as the actual underdogs of the tournament in South Africa.

Australia – The road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals

With only four places available for countries from the Asian Football Confederation, the hit was up around the continent, at the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. As a new member of the AFC, Australia also took part in the qualifiers from the AFC zone, beginning their campaign in Round 3.

Third Round:

The Socceroos were inserted in Pot A as top seeds before the draw for the Third Round of the qualifiers, and so – on November 25 2007, Australia ended up as the “Big Guys” of Group A, which also contained Qatar, Iraq, and China.

Australia had a great initial match in their World Cup qualification, edging 3-0 past Qatar. They subsequently settled for a 0-0 draw away from home in China, before imposing themselves by a goal to nil over struggling side Iraq at home.

Another 1-0 loss in the return leg encounter against the Iraqis however took away three points from the Australians, to delay their dream of entering the Fourth Round. Afterward, a 3-1 win over Qatar away from home was then the sign of the Socceroos’ progress in the next round of their qualification. Australia then had only a few obligations in their final game against China, which they lost 1-0, unfortunately.

Fourth Round:

Logically, Australia finished Group A with 10 points, topping their table by goal difference ahead of Qatar who also earned 10 points. The Socceroos eventually joined the nine other remaining teams of the qualifiers, and following the draw which took place in Kuala Lumpur, the top seeds were put in the Fourth Round’s Group A, along with Japan, Bahrain, Qatar, and Uzbekistan.

There, Australia did almost no mistake, creating an unbeaten run, and conceding a single goal. It all started thanks to 1-0 away victory over Uzbekistan, followed by wonderful 4-0 win against Qatar.
Neither Bahrain, nor Japan proved to be too strong for the Australians in their next games; and the Socceroos thus managed to grab four points out of these two encounters.

Success over Uzbekistan (2-0), and Bahrain (2-0) were other evidences of the great form of the Socceroos, who strangely drew 0-0 away to Qatar in between.

The last match-day of the qualifiers for Australia somehow seemed to be a little bit more challenging, as the Japanese broke their opponents’ clean sheet record in the Fourth Round, despite losing 2-1 at the end of proceedings.

Finally, Australia stole the spotlight in Group A with 20 points – either 5 points ahead of runners-up Japan who gathered 15 points – and such an attainment was enough for them to reserve themselves a place in the tournament’s final.

Australia – 2010 FIFA World Cup group stage

On December 4, 2009, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Australia (who had landed in Pot 2 ahead of the final draw), were placed in Group D for the 2010 FIFA World Cup’s group stage.

Group D presents other potent sides including European top seeds Germany, in addition to Serbia, and African giants Ghana. Qualifying for the knockout stages will obviously not be an easy task for the Socceroos, but self-belief could guide them through their way to greatness.

Match-day 1: Germany vs Australia

The 2006 World Cup hosts will welcome Australia at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, on June 13 at 18:30 GMT. Australia got their moral boosted in the tournament in 2006, and they will hope to do the same in their opening match in South Africa through an outstanding victory over the Germans.

Of course, as everyone knows, beating Germany is never a simple thing, but who knows? If the Australians were capable of getting an influence in football in recent years, they could well show a major improvement by making what is arguably considered as the “impossible”.

Anyway, as it is now, this is more a wish for the Australians than a certainty.

Match-day 2: Ghana vs Australia

In match-day two, Australia will fight Ghana at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, on June 19, at 16:00 local time. The Socceroos are aware of the techniques applied by the Ghanaians in their games, as they have met them twice in less than three years (through international friendly matches).

Fortunately, Australia seems to have the upper in their two friendlies, obtaining a 2-1 aggregate win over Ghana’s Black Stars. The story could be different in South Africa though, and this is exactly why the Socceroos will want to apply all that they have learnt, in an attempt to get the best out of this particular game.

Match-day 3: Australia vs Serbia

Australia will at last play as the home side on match-day three, when they face Serbia at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, at 20:30 local time on June 23.

Serbia weren’t bad at all in their qualifiers ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals, and they have no misgivings when it comes to keeping their positive form in the tournament’s group stage. Serbia however don’t have a high reputation in football, yet, Australia will need to be cautious, if ever they are to evade a strange loss against the Serbians.

Australia – Quick Analysis: Expectations from the country and its top stars

The Australians suffered a bitter elimination from the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany, as they were debatably robbed by Italy in the last 16 stage of the tournament. Now, in preparation for the South Africa 2010 World Cup, the Socceroos are poised to make a strong come back, and opportunely, they have a few players to rely on:

Tim Cahill:

The 30-year old Everton footballer is one of Australia’s top stars. The attacking midfielder from the Premier League has had more playing time in England, and this is just an indication of his expertise in the sport.

Tim Cahill, who has made over 35 appearances for the Socceroos, is his country’s first Man of the Match in a FIFA World Cup tournament, as he scored two goals in Australia’s first World Cup game against Japan in 2006, which they were losing 1-0 until the 84th minute, when wonders from Cahill helped the Socceroos steal a 3-1 victory.

Subsequent to his capabilities, the Everton player is expected to feature for his side at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and surely, there is more to look forward to.

Mark Schwarzer:

It will probably be the Australian veteran goalkeeper’s last chance of enjoying a FIFA World Cup tournament, as the Fulham goalie, at 37, is nearing retirement. Mark has been a regular player for his country with over 70 appearances, and overall, it is incontestable that he has been a wonderful keeper for the Socceroos.

Schwarzer was instrumental in Australia’s 2006 World Cup qualification campaign, as well as during his side's 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

Penalties, free-kicks, powerful shots, and low shots – all of those are challenges below Schwarzer’s abilities, and such skills are definitely the ones that Australia will require to enjoy a great campaign in the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa.

Australia – Current 2010 FIFA World Cup squad

Goalkeepers:

Brad Jones; Adam Federici; Mark Schwarzer

Defenders:

Luke Wilkshire; Mark Milligan; Craig Moore; Michael Beauchamp; Lucas Neill; David Carney; Scott Chipperfield

Midfielders:

Dario Vidosic; Carl Valeri; Mile Jedinak; Brett Holman; Vince Grella; Richard Garcia; Brett Emerton; Jason Culina; Tim Cahill; Mark Bresciano

Forwards:

Nikita Rukavytsya; Harry Kewell; Josh Kennedy

Australia – Relevant quote

Pim Verbeek: “We have tough opponents, but we can succeed”

Australia manager Pim Verbeek believes the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals’ Group D contains strong teams. For that reason, entering the last 16 stage will be a real challenge. Nonetheless, Pim Verbeek remains convinced that with mental strength, Australia will be able to make it. Below is the quote of the Australia coach on this issue:

“Honestly, Germany are the favorites to top the group. Germany are extremely strong, they are very experienced, and they are even one of the best teams in the world.

“However, we will be doing everything in our power to progress into the next round (of the 2010 FIFA World Cup).  We played in the Asian qualifying zone (for the 2010 World Cup), and we defeated some respectable sides in spite of some difficult conditions and a lot of travelling; in fact, that made us stronger mentally.

“I don't know too much about the Serbians, but I know they were better than France in qualifying, so I guess they must be pretty good. Ghana are one of the strongest teams in the African continent and, if you consider the fact that we are playing in Africa (precisely South Africa), that makes them a real danger to us.  In any case, we Australians are as strong as the Ghanaians.“

Australia – FIFA World Cup record

Overall, Australia have qualified for the FIFA World Cup only thrice in their history, and this includes their participation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup which is to be held in South Africa. Below is the record of the Australians in the World Cup.

2010: Qualified as participants

2006: Round of 16

1974: Round 1

Follow the progress of Australia's national football team and all the other 2010 World Cup participants during the tournament. Stick with LiveSoccerTV.com for that!

Australia World Cup Videos

• Jun/23/2010 Australia vs Serbia (2 - 1)