The epic adventure that is the first-ever World Cup full qualifying campaign for the Socceroos through the Asian Confederation revealed a bold new chapter last Friday June 27.
The fourth round qualifying draw held at Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur delivered Australia headline opening and closing fixtures.
With eight matches scheduled, including four at home, the number one seeded Socceroos were dealt a daunting away trip to open their campaign against the formidable Uzbekistan on September 10, while their last is a blockbuster home fixture against traditional rival Japan on June 17.
The other two contenders in Australia's five-team Group A qualification group are the more lowly ranked, but challenging Bahrain and Qatar.
The Socceroos must qualify first or second in Group A to directly qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
A third place will still grant Australia one last chance to play-off at home and away against the third-placed team in Group B. The victor will play the top-placed team in Oceania in one home and one away match for a remaining World Cup spot.
Football Federation Australia's landmark decision some three years ago to depart the Oceania Confederation and successfully seek admission to the near 50-member strong Asian Football Confederation is paying massive dividends for the sport in Australia.
This is not limited to the near capacity stadium attendances in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, and hugely expanded media attention generated with this year's third round World Cup qualifying matches against Qatar, Iraq and China.
As many fans discovered somewhat unexpectedly at the 2007 Asian Cup, the decision has also granted Australia the opportunity to test our playing standards through regular international fixtures against Asian opponents, who are much more competitive than previous Oceania combatants such as Fiji and New Caledonia.
Most Australian supporters are fully aware of the 2010 World Cup qualification challenge that the Socceroos are facing. Thanks to our history making victory over Asian powerhouse Japan at the 2006 World Cup, coupled with our quarter-final elimination in the 2007 Asian Cup, "the Blue Samurai" have now become the Socceroos' latest rival.
But, our other major potential World Cup stumbling block – Uzbekistan – is new territory for players and fans alike.
Ranked a highly credible 58 in FIFA rankings, the former Soviet republic finished equal top of its third round World Cup qualification group and contains a nucleus of players with experience in the increasingly highly rated Russian Premier League and with other Eastern and Central European clubs.
An error occurred on the server when processing the URL. Please contact the system administrator.