Drawing on four decades in the game, the new Australia boss looks for ‘a lot of belief’ to rescue World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign

In the four decades since Tony Popovic first stepped onto a pitch in western Sydney, his football journey has taken him to Japan, the English Premier League, a World Cup and, as a manager, to Asian Champions League glory. Each stop along the way, he believes, will help turn the Socceroos’ fading fortunes around.

“Every experience you have in life helps you as you go along, whether that’s away from football or in football, and I think you put that together to be able to handle the situation at hand,” he said.