Socceroos to face All Whites twice for Centenary celebration

The Socceroos will play the All Whites twice in September to mark the Centenary celebration of their first Australian "A" international matches.

Football Australia have announced two friendlies to take place during the September international break, the last matches for the Socceroos before the 2022 World Cup. They will play the All Whites in back to back matches hosted in Brisbane and Auckland.

Socceroos September Matches

Australia will face New Zealand twice in September.
The Socceroos will play the All Whites in both Brisbane and Auckland.
The matches will be part of the Centenary celebration of the first Socceroos "A" international matches.

More Australian football news can be found on FTBL.

Dunedin, New Zealand hosted the first ever "A' international match for Australia when the Socceroos played New Zealand in 1912. A year later both sides faced each other again for the Socceroos first game on home soil.

To mark the 100 year anniversary of these matches, the Socceroos will face the All Whites twice in September.

The first gamed will be hosted by Australia on September 22, 2022. The Socceroos will return to Queensland's Suncorp Stadium for the first time since they drew South Korea 1-1 in November 2018.

"The Socceroos are important to Australian football and to bring them back to where they played their first match and to celebrate 100 years of history is truly special," stated Football Australia CEO James Johnson to FTBL during the match announcement.

"There has been a lot of thinking that has gone into this window and we are really happy that they will be playing here in Brisbane in September."

Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold echoed Johnson's statements about the Queensland game.

“It’s a great opportunity for the fans to farewell the players and show them how much support is behind them. A lot of the boys live overseas and don’t have the chance to feel that all the time.

“I have lots of good memories here at the Suncorp and one bad one (his 2011 A-League GrandFinal lost) that I don’t like to talk about!"

Both sides will then head across the Tasman with the second game to be held at Eden Park on September 25, 2022. This game will also mark the last friendly match before the 2022 World Cup. Arnold also spoke about his expectations from both games, and how they will affect his Qatar squad selection.

“It’s also a last chance for me to see the squad before the World Cup- After the Peru game I said congratulations but nobody is guaranteed a spot. They need to go back to the clubs, work hard, stay fit and be ready.”

Football Australia will make tickets available for purchase by the general public on Friday, July 15, 2022.