Australia and Saudi Arabia have drawn 0-0 in Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in Melbourne. While there was late drama there was little quality on display on Thursday.

The Socceroos were reeling after Graham Arnold's surprise resignation, but Tony Popovic has steadied the ship.

The top two teams in Group C secure direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup, while third and fourth place go into the next round of qualifying. It only magnifies the importance of Thursday night’s crunch clash with the Saudis at AAMI Park, then the away match against Bahrain four days later in Riffa.

Australia and Saudi Arabia play a crucial World Cup qualifier in Melbourne on Thursday while Japan and South Korea can take a huge step towards North America in 2026 in the third round of Asian qualifying.

Australia and Saudi Arabia meet in Melbourne on Thursday night in a crucial World Cup qualification match. Both sides are level on five points in their group, with Australia holding a slightly better goal differential. ABC Sport will be live blogging the World Cup qualifier between Australia and Saudi Arabia from 7pm AEDT.

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have urged FIFA to delay confirming Saudi Arabia as the 2034 men’s World Cup host until the kingdom addresses pressing human rights concerns,

Here’s how to watch Australia's World Cup qualifier on TV and live stream as well as the latest team news. The Sporting News takes you through all the information you need to follow the game.

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