WHY THIS POOL PARTY IS LIKELY TO BE THE SOCCEROOS' LAST WORLD CUP PLAY OFF CELEBRATION
0Why this pool party is likely to be the Socceroos' last World Cup play off celebration
The victorious Socceroos arrive home at Sydney airport on Wednesday afternoon from the latest instalment of World Cup play off penalty heroics. A change in format for the tournament in 2026 means Australia might never play in a qualifying play off again The shootout victory over Peru harked back to the 2005 team and John Aloisi's decisive spot kick. World football has changed radically in those intervening 16 and a half years. as the influence of Middle Eastern nations has grown. and kick offs have been allowed to go backwards. But the world game is set to witness nothing short of a revolution in the next four. And it means the rollercoaster experience of a shootout with a spot in the World Cup on the line is set to be not for Australia. but for others. A day to remember Andrew Redmayne's sudden death save. with World Cup participation up for grabs. triggered an intense outpouring of joy for fans from the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium to Australian lounge rooms. In the hours since. defender Trent Sainsbury has not let an injury slow down his post match celebrations. The 30 year old missed the victory over the UAE last week and the Peru match with a knee complaint. But he. alongside captain Maty Ryan and striker Mitch Duke. has shared videos of the Socceroos partying in Qatar following the match. While players complained about a lack of beer on the coach back from the stadium in a country that prohibits public drinking. the ales clearly flowed back at the hotel. Winger Martin Boyle was even captured partaking in what appears to be shisha. The scenes recall perhaps Australian football's most iconic moment in 2005 and its aftermath. when John Travolta made an appearance in the dressing room. also following a World Cup play off shootout victory. Several players will arrive back in Sydney on Wednesday afternoon. The Qantas charter that ferried the players back from Uruguay in 2005 has been replaced by a Qatar Airways commercial flight. But a larger change made by FIFA in 2017 will affect how the Socceroos qualify from now on. A bigger World Cup The first World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay involved just 13 nations. and the tournament moved to a 16 team format from 1934. The size increased to 24 teams in 1982. then 32 in 1998. FIFA decided in 2017 to expand the 2026 showpiece to a gargantuan 48 teams. The governing body currently has 211 affiliated associations. meaning close to one quarter of members will reach the sport's grandest stage in four years' time. At the time. FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the decision following criticism from clubs: “We are in the 21st century. and we should shape the World Cup for the 21st century. Football is more than Europe and South America; football is global.” The move gives developing nations a greater chance at taking part. and eight places will automatically go to Asian teams. Australia qualified automatically as one of the top four teams in Asia for the 2010 and 2014 tournaments. For 2018 and 2022. Australia slipped into the Asian play off. but in both cases beat their Asian rivals in what was effectively a fifth place decider. The experience in recent campaigns consolidated Australia's familiarity with the play off. which goes back to painful defeats to Uruguay. Iran and beyond. But Australia now has a chance to put the World Cup play off to bed. An expanded intercontinental qualifying tournament in 2025 will provide a last chance for two teams to qualify. But if the Socceroos were to return to this play off environment — and with it the kind of do or die shootout drama from 2005 and 2022 — they would do so as the ninth best team in Asia. Despite the team's recent slump. and the odd slip up against a lesser Asian side. that is barely imaginable. Which means the Socceroos' celebrations might now have to wait for the big dance. Posted 8h ago. updated 8h ago
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