Australia and Peru's 2022 World Cup destiny will be decided in a FIFA World Cup intercontinental playoff match at Al Rayyan Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
Will the favourites Peru reach their sixth World Cup tournament all-time, or can Australia cause an upset and reach their fifth straight finals?
Peru qualified for the playoff by finishing in fifth place in South American qualifying, where the top four earned direct tickets to the World Cup in Qatar (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador).
Australia made it as the best third-place team from Asia World Cup qualifying, where there were two groups that made up the final round. The top two teams in both groups clinched automatic World Cup spots, and the two third-place teams — the United Arab Emirates and Australia — met in a playoff on June 7 for the right to face Peru. Australia won 2-1 on an Ajdin Hrustic goal six minutes from time.
The Sporting News brings you everything you need to know about the Peru vs. Australia showdown.
MORE: Which group will Peru vs. Australia winner play in at the 2022 World Cup?
How to watch Australia vs. Peru
| Country | Date/Time | TV | Stream |
| Australia | 4 a.m. (AEST) Tues, June 14 | Channel 10 | 10 Play, Paramount+ |
| Canada | 2 p.m. (ET) Mon, June 13 | TSN 1/5 | TSN GO, TSN Direct |
| UK | 7 p.m. (BST) Mon, June 13 | — | BBC Sport/iPlayer |
| USA | 2 p.m. (ET) Mon, June 13 | FS1 (English), Telemundo (Spanish) | fuboTV, Fox Sports GO/app |
Australia will go into the match against Peru as underdogs after their recent stretch of poor form through the back end of World Cup qualifying.
Peru scheduled a June 5 friendly against New Zealand to prep for a potential match against Australia and the South Americans struggled to win 1-0 on a goal by star striker Gianluca Lapadula.
That friendly was played in Spain, and the Socceroos should enjoy a slight edge when it comes to familiarity with Middle Eastern conditions, given they have played a number of games in the region due to COVID-19.
MORE: Complete 2022 World Cup schedule through to the final
Australia vs. Peru past results
Peru and Australia have met only once before in their history, in Group C play at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
A goal in each half by Andre Carrillo (18th min.) and Paolo Guerrero (50th min.) claimed a 2-0 win for Peru in the group finale, but it wasn't enough to get into the knockout rounds. France and Denmark topped the group and France went on to win that edition of the World Cup.
The winner of the Australia vs. Peru playoff will have to contend with France and Denmark again in Group D of the 2022 World Cup. Tunisia rounds out the four-team group.
| Date | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| June 26, 2018 | Australia 0-2 Peru | 2018 World Cup Russia |
Australia squad and team news
| Nathaniel Atkinson | Aziz Behich |
| Martin Boyle | Nicholas D’Agostino |
| Jason Davidson | Milos Degenek |
| Kenny Dougall | Mitchell Duke |
| Denis Genreau | Craig Goodwin |
| Ajdin Hrustic | Jackson Irvine |
| Fran Karacic | Joel King |
| Mathew Leckie | Awer Mabil |
| Jamie Maclaren | Riley McGree |
| Aaron Mooy | Andrew Redmayne (GK) |
| Kye Rowles | Mathew Ryan (GK) |
| Trent Sainsbury | Gianni Stensness |
| Adam Taggart | Marco Tilio |
| Danny Vukovic (GK) | Bailey Wright |
There are no major injury concerns for the Socceroos, with a similar team to the one that defeated the UAE likely to be selected.
Nathaniel Atkinson struggled defensively at right back against the UAE last week and could be replaced by Fran Karacic, while Awer Mabil might be selected over an inconsistent Craig Goodwin at left wing.
Peru squad and team news
| Luis Advincula | Pedro Aquino |
| Miguel Araujo | Horacio Calcaterra |
| Alexander Callens | Ángelo Campos (GK) |
| Jairo Concha | André Carrillo |
| Wilder Cartagena | Jose Carvallo (GK) |
| Aldo Corzo | Gabriel Costa |
| Christian Cueva | Edison Flores |
| Pedro Gallese (GK) | Raziel García |
| Christofer Gonzales | Gianluca Lapadula |
| Marcos Lopez | Santiago Ormeno |
| Sergio Pena | Christian Ramos |
| Renato Tapia | Miguel Trauco |
| Alex Valera | Yoshimar Yotun |
| Carlos Zambrano |
Major changes from Peru's friendly against New Zealand are unlikely.
The latest news from training is that influential midfielder Yoshimar Yotun and left back Marcos Lopez were training on their own, separate from the rest of the team, indicating a potential injury concern.
Luis Advíncula may be selected over Aldo Corzo at right back, while Pedro Aquino has a chance to feature in central midfield instead of Renato Tapia. Aquino suffered a blow to the head in training that left him out of sorts, but reports indicate that the coaching staff is confident he'll be ready to go if called upon against Australia.
