Socceroos vs. UAE: When, where, how to watch World Cup play-off, Australia squad and team news

Joshua Thomas

Socceroos vs. UAE: When, where, how to watch World Cup play-off, Australia squad and team news image

The Socceroos will play the United Arab Emirates in the first of two must-win World Cup play-offs on June 8 (AEST) in Qatar. 

Australia stumbled massively in the final stage of qualifying as they finished third in their group and were forced to navigate the play-offs once again. 

Graham Arnold's side have won one of their last four games and can't afford to slip up against the UAE. 

The Sporting News brings you everything you need to know about the match. 

Socceroos vs. UAE match details 

Date (AEST) Time (AEST) Match Stadium Broadcast
Wednesday, June 8 4.00am Australia 2-1. UAE Al Rayyan Stadium Channel 10, 10 Play, Paramount+

The Socceroos' quest to qualify for a fifth straight World Cup will require them to beat both the UAE and Peru in single-leg play-offs. 

Australia successfully navigated the play-offs in 2017 by beating Syria and Honduras but are set to face sterner tests this time around. 

The Socceroos' first challenge on an extended road to Qatar sees them first needing to defeat a solid UAE outfit that beat Australia 1-0 the last time they met in the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals in 2019. 

The UAE also ended the third round of qualifying with a 1-0 win over South Korea in March but do come into this match after a lacklustre 1-1 friendly draw with Gambia on May 30.  

In comparison, Arnold's side shrugged off two straight qualifying defeats to beat Jordan 2-1 on June 2

The Socceroos notably have a nearly full-strength squad to call upon for these play-offs with Tom Rogic the only absentee.

How to watch Socceroos vs. UAE in Australia

The Socceroos' play-off game against the UAE will be broadcast on television via Channel 10 and streamed online via 10 Play and Paramount Plus. 

10 Play is freely available via the App Store and Google Play with the platform also accessible via Apple TV, Android TV, Freeview, Fetch, Samsung and Telstra TV. 

Paramount+ meanwhile offers free seven-day trials with monthly subscriptions costing $8.99 and A-Leagues' clubs offering yearly discounted deals as part of membership packs. 

Experienced commentary duo Simon Hill and Andy Harper are expected to be calling the action. 

Socceroos squad, team news and predicted starting side

Name

Club, Country

Nathaniel ATKINSON

Heart of Midlothian, Scotland

Aziz BEHICH

Uncontracted

Martin BOYLE

Al-Faisaly FC, Saudi Arabia

Nicholas D’AGOSTINO

Melbourne Victory FC, Australia

Jason DAVIDSON

Melbourne Victory FC, Australia

Milos DEGENEK

Columbus Crew, USA

Kenny DOUGALL

Blackpool FC, England

Mitchell DUKE

Fagiano Okayama, Japan

Denis GENREAU

Toulouse FC, France

Craig GOODWIN

Adelaide United FC, Australia

Ajdin HRUSTIC

Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany

Jackson IRVINE

FC St. Pauli, Germany

Fran KARACIC

Brescia Calcio, Italy

Joel KING

Odense Boldklub, Denmark

Mathew LECKIE

Melbourne City FC, Australia

Awer MABIL

Uncontracted

Jamie MACLAREN

Melbourne City FC, Australia

Riley MCGREE

Middlesbrough FC, England

Aaron MOOY

Shanghai Port FC, China PR

Andrew REDMAYNE (Gk)

Sydney FC, Australia

Tom ROGIC

Uncontracted

Kye ROWLES

Central Coast Mariners FC, Australia

Mathew RYAN (Gk)

Real Sociedad, Spain

Trent SAINSBURY

Uncontracted

Gianni STENSNESS

Viking FK, Norway

Adam TAGGART  

Cerezo Osaka, Japan

Marco TILIO

Melbourne City, Australia

Danny VUKOVIC (GK)

NEC Nijmegan, Netherlands

Bailey WRIGHT

Sunderland AFC, England

Arnold has been able to name close to a full-strength Socceroos squad for games in June. 

The likes of Aaron Mooy and Adam Taggart have all returned to the team after recent absences but Tom Rogic has pulled out of the squad for personal reasons. 

Jason Davidson has also earned a recall after a strong domestic season with Melbourne Victory. 

The Socceroos deployed an experimental starting side against Jordan but will likely favour experience in this do-or-die play-off. 

Predicted Socceroos XI (4-3-3): Ryan - Behich, Sainsbury, Degenek, Karacic - Mooy, Irvine, Hrustic - Mabil, Taggart, Boyle

Socceroos vs. UAE past results

Date Result Competition
26 January, 2019 UAE 1-0 Australia AFC Asian Cup
28 March, 2018 Australia 2-0 UAE World Cup qualifier
6 September, 2016 UAE 0-1 Australia World Cup qualifier
27 January, 2015 Australia 2-0 UAE AFC Asian Cup
11 October, 2014 UAE 0-0 Australia Friendly

Joshua Thomas

Joshua Thomas Photo

Josh has been covering sport for nearly a decade now having fallen in love with football at a young age. A UTS graduate, Josh has previously worked for GOAL and now covers football closely for The Sporting News.