Graham Arnold will continue as head coach of the Socceroos, after signing a contract extension that will last until the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Key points:
- Graham Arnold will remain as head coach until the end of the 2026 men’s World Cup, which will take place in the US, Canada and Mexico
- His extension follows Australia’s best result at a men’s World Cup, finishing 11th in Qatar, less than a year after almost being sacked
- Arnold plans to use his next cycle to develop emerging players and put more pressure on governments to invest in infrastructure and high-performance funding
After Australia’s remarkable run at the Qatar World Cup — where they won two group-stage matches for the first time ever before being narrowly defeated in the round of 16 by eventual winners Argentina — there was little doubt that Football Australia would offer Arnold a new deal.
But his destiny was in his own hands, with the 59-year-old taking several weeks’ holiday after the tournament to rest and consider his options.
Arnold reportedly received big-money interest from clubs in the Netherlands, England and Scotland, as well as another highly-ranked Asian national team, but has chosen to remain with the country of his birth for a second consecutive World Cup cycle, on a deal worth more than $5 million.
It completes an incredible turnaround of fortunes for the former player, who was close to being sacked last March after a poor run of results towards the end of World Cup qualifying.
After their record 11-match winning streak in the earliest stages, the Socceroos stumbled against bigger Asian nations and ended up finishing third in their group, forced down the inter-continental play-off route to reach the finals, where they dramatically defeated Peru on penalties.
But, in making their decision, Football Australia also took into account the challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the team play just four of their 20 qualifiers at home. Extended periods of quarantine, lockdown and travel took a large toll on the players and staff, with public sentiment also fading as they stumbled towards Qatar.
But Arnold’s self-described “belief” in himself and his team was rewarded during their remarkable World Cup run, where they finished 11th, with multiple players praising his ability to create a tight-knit, family culture and embrace their underdog status.
Australia is expected to rise to 27 in the world as a result, their highest FIFA world ranking since 2012.
World-renowned football publication L’Equipe — notorious for its harsh ratings — even named Arnold the best head coach of the tournament, pitting him above Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni, France’s Didier Dechamps, and Morocco’s Walid Regragui.
“What Graham and the entire squad achieved under the most challenging of circumstances during the last FIFA World Cup campaign was exceptional, and we are delighted that we have secured his services for a further four years,” FA chair Chris Nikou said.
“Football Australia is ambitious, where we expect continued progress and results from our senior and youth national teams and, through our discussions with Graham over recent weeks, we know our thinking is aligned on the future direction of Australian football and the Socceroos.”
FA had promised not to approach any other candidates until receiving an answer from Arnold, who will now turn his attention to qualifying for the men’s Asian Cup, where he will be aiming for redemption after Australia’s quarter-final exit in 2019.
“I love Australia and I love Australian football,” Arnold said. “Nothing in football can ever match the elation, pride and sense of achievement [that] I, and the entire set-up, felt in Qatar.
“The hunger to continue in the role has never been stronger, and I know I have more to give to the Socceroos’ program and Australian football, where I want to deliver more smiles for our fans, as we did in Qatar.
“I approach the next four years with a clean sheet, which is underpinned by a burning ambition to provide more opportunities to our leading emerging and established talent, whilst challenging for major titles, starting with the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar next year.”
His re-appointment will likely be questioned from a footballing perspective, with his playing style sometimes criticised by fans and pundits as being overly pragmatic, ineffective and lacking flexibility — something he now has the time to address in order to keep Australia up-to-date with international trends.
Encouragingly, though, Arnold now has the opportunity to accelerate the development of a generation of exciting young players, such as Garang Kuol, Keanu Baccus, Cameron Devlin, Kye Rowles and Harry Souttar — among others — who are expected to take the Socceroos into their next era.
“I’m hugely passionate about our pathways and ensuring we are not only producing more elite talent through a connected pyramid, but making sure those footballers are getting the right opportunities to fulfil their dreams, [whether] it’s here in Australia or overseas.”
“I will be hands-on with our men’s national youth team head coaches to support their own development and further strengthen our national team football philosophy.
“In addition to success on the field over the next four years, I want to help deliver results for football in the form of bespoke infrastructure for our game across Australia.
“Football is the world game where, for a country of 26 million people, we certainly over-achieve, based upon the funding and investment our game receives. For our sport to not have a National Home of Football, and for the Socceroos to not receive any high-performance funding, is something I want to support FA to resolve over the next four years.
“As we saw, a successful World Cup campaign unites and inspires all Australians like nothing else does, and it is in the national interest to support both our senior national football teams.”
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