Bahrain

Australia have held on to the second automatic qualifying place in their 2026 World Cup group, drawing 2-2 in Bahrain after a dramatic finale.

Indonesia are still unbeaten in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the World Cup but came agonisingly close to a historic win.

The passage of time tends to smooth the rough edges of most legacies but Graham Arnold's time in charge of the Socceroos tells a tangled tale of one of Australian football's most influential figures, writes Joey Lynch.

Graham Arnold has stepped down as Socceroos manager before Australia's next World Cup qualifier in October.

Football Australia chief executive James Johnson has backed Socceroos boss Graham Arnold to rebound from a winless start to the third phase of Asian qualification, saying the organisation would "put our faith" in the coach to engineer a turnaround.

From the Japanese juggernaut to numerical deficits not mattering, here's what we learnt from the third round of Asian qualifiers.

Australia were expected to ease past Bahrain on Thursday night, but what transpired instead evoked a familiar feeling for the Socceroos.

A 10-man Socceroos outfit has suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Bahrain on the Gold Coast in a disastrous setback to their hopes of direct World Cup qualification.

There is plenty to look forward to as the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup begins on Thursday.

18 teams are still in the hunt to reach the World Cup as the third round of Asian qualifiers kick off on Thursday.