How to watch the Socceroos v New Zealand and when does it start?

The Socceroos have a vital tune-up ahead of their World Cup campaign with Thursday night’s meeting with New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium.

The game will be shown on Ten, with coverage beginning at 7.30pm and kick off at 8pm, with streaming options available via 10plus and Paramount+.

It’s a huge moment for Graham Arnold’s men as they count down the days to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

While the All Whites won’t provide the same level of opposition as France, Denmark and Tunisia – their group rivals – they will give much-needed game time to a squad that hasn’t played a game since they qualified for the tournament with a penalty shootout victory over Peru.

The Socceroos squad reflects this transition. Tom Rogic is absent, as he left Celtic in May and only recently signed to a new club in West Bromwich Albion, with others from the qualification campaign from the A-League – Craig Goodwin, Nick D’Agostino and Jason Davidson – also overlooked.

The has, however, opened the door for new talent to make their mark. 17-year-old Central Coast Mariners star Garang Kuol might only have a handful of A-League appearances, but his promise and strong showing for the All Star team against FC Barcelona has earned him a shot at international level.

His older, if not wiser, Mariners teammate Jason Cummings will also make an Australia debut in either this fixture or the return game in Auckland on Sunday after previously playing for Scotland.

Scotland plays a big role in the squad: Cammy Devlin of Hearts plus St Mirren pair Keanu Bacchus and Ryan Strain are also in line for debuts along with Harrison Delbridge, from Korean outfit Incheon United, and Tyrese Francois of Fulham.

Goalkeeper Mitch Langerak is also recalled from international retirement and preferred ahead of shootout hero Andrew Redmayne to compete with incumbent and captain Matty Ryan.

The expectation is that Arnold will pick his squad for Thursday night’s match predominantly from European-based players in order to allow them to return to their clubs ahead of fixtures the following weekend with domestic players used in the second game on Sunday. A-League players have only played Australia Cup fixtures since May and the season does not begin until October 7th.

Australia’s squad:
Mathew Ryan (capt), Nathaniel Atkinson, Keanu Baccus, Aziz Behich, Martin Boyle, Jason Cummings, Harrison Delbridge, Milos Degenek, Thomas Deng, Cameron Devlin, Mitch Duke, Tyrese Francois, Denis Genreau, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Fran Karacic, Joel King, Garang Kuol, Mitch Langerak, Mathew Leckie, Awer Mabil, Jamie Maclaren, Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Aaron Mooy, Andrew Redmayne, Trent Sainsbury, Ryan Strain, Adam Taggart, Marco Tilio, Bailey Wright.