Australia vs Bangladesh

Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is the venue as Australia and Bangladesh go head-to-head in their curtain-raising 2026 World Cup qualifying Group I encounter.

Reaching a sixth consecutive World Cup is the ultimate goal as Australia embark on their qualifying campaign against a Bangladesh side they’ve defeated by 4+ goals ‘to nil’ in both previous qualifying H2Hs. It’s been eight years since their last meeting, yet the ‘Socceroos’ are widely expected to post another statement win here after a 2-0 triumph over neighbors New Zealand last time out ended their dismal four-game winless run (D1, L3). A gulf in class between the teams is substantial, rendering Australia’s dreadful form since the 2022 World Cup last-16 exit (W2, D1, L3) meaningless. What does matter is that Graham Arnold’s men had gone unbeaten in eight consecutive World Cup qualifiers on home turf (W7, D1) before losing to Japan in their last such fixture.

By contrast, visiting Bangladesh are on a crusade to qualify for their first-ever World Cup. But based on their overall record in World Cup qualifying (W11, D9, L40), it’s more of a pipe dream. Indeed, the visitors finished their last qualifying cycle with an abysmal record (W1, D3, L6) and a disastrous -15 goal difference (GF:4, GA:19), underlining their outsider status in this fixture. Yet, Bangladesh’s recent form offers some respite, with Javier Cabrera’s side avoiding defeat in regulation time across their last seven internationals (W3, D4). Following an underwhelming run of four low-scoring draws, the ‘Bengal Tigers’ pulled off a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Maldives in the build-up to this contest.