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The A-League World Cup radar: A Socceroos selection series - Week 1

  • Writer: Caydn Foley
    Caydn Foley
  • 2 days ago
  • 5 min read

With the 2025/26 A-League Men's season beginning eight months out from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many Australian players are looking to stake their claim to one of the coveted places in Tony Popovic's Socceroos squad. In the lead-up to the World Cup, Front Page Football will highlight some of Popovic's potential options performing in the A-League in this new series. We will not cover players who are already highly likely to be part of the squad, but rather the names on the fringes or yet to be capped who have shown throughout the season that they have the quality to fulfil a role in the team.

Front Page Football A-League Socceroos

Denis Genreau in action for Melbourne Victory against Auckland FC at AAMI Park. (Image: Melbourne Victory)


Melbourne Victory made some statement signings coming into the new season following a disappointing Grand Final loss to their cross-town rivals, Melbourne City. Midfielder Denis Genreau, who has spent the last four years playing in Europe, joined Victory in an effort to bolster their attack following the unexpected departure of Frenchman Zinedine Machach. Despite their disappointing results in the first two games of the season, Genreau has been a bright spot for his side, already tallying a goal and an assist while arguably being best on ground for his team in both games.


Purely off the eye-test, Genreau looks a step above many of the Australian midfielders currently playing in the A-League. His technical ability on the ball has made him a creative threat for Melbourne Victory. In just two games, he has already created four chances, putting him in the top 10 in the league for chances created, and, when only including Australian midfielders, he is tied first alongside Angus Thurgate and Luke Brattan.

Despite playing as an attacking midfielder for Melbourne Victory, Genreau can also play in a more defensive midfield role. His defensive stats have been extremely positive in his two games so far, with 10 tackles and 16 duels won, equating to a 59.3% success rate.


As Popovic doesn't use traditional attacking midfielders in his back five system, Genreau's demonstrated ability to play anywhere in midfield should give the Socceroos boss a reason to take him to the World Cup if his form stays at the level he has demonstrated so far this season.

Genreau has only been capped for Australia six times in his career, none of which under Popovic, but positions in midfield definitely are up for grabs with no player really staking their claim to a starting spot in the Socceroos' recent games. Aiden O'Neill, who has started in midfield for Australia in their last three matches, has struggled to deliver convincing performances, which could give Genreau an opportunity if he can maintain his form in the A-League. Longtime stalwart of the Socceroos' midfield, Jackson Irvine, has been suffering from a long-term leg injury, which has kept him out of action for the last few months, leading to another midfield spot opening up in the Socceroos' squad. Especially if Irvine is unable to return to his pre-injury form, he could risk missing the World Cup.


When Popovic took over the Socceroos in September last year, he quickly adapted the system, moving to a back five. As a result, many new defenders have been given opportunities in the Socceroos' squad, such as Hayden Matthews, Jason Geria, and Jacob Italiano. Another potential option that Popovic could look to in defence is Melbourne Victory's Jason Davidson. Now in his second stint at Victory, Davidson has always been a quality A-League defender who can play either as a left-sided centre back in a back three or as a left wing back in a back five. The 34-year-old could even step into midfield to do a job if needed. In international football, having players in your squad who can play multiple positions can be a godsend if an injury crisis takes place during a tournament.


Davidson has been a fringe Socceroo for the past few years, failing to cement a spot in the starting lineup. Despite this, he would still be a quality backup option if he can maintain fitness. With the emergence of Jordan Bos, Davidson would be a great backup and could also fill in at centre back if needed.

So far for Melbourne Victory, Davidson has been a solid pick-up, performing well defensively and offering a bit of creativity with the ball at his feet. In the opening match of the season against Auckland, he won 50% of his duels and had a pass percentage of nearly 80%.

Following the 0-0 draw, Melbourne Victory head coach Arthur Diles spoke highly of Genreau and Davidson, feeling that the dream of a World Cup selection will fuel success at the club under his stewardship.


"I genuinely believe that they've got the level required to go to a World Cup," Diles said.

"Whether they go or not, that's going to be a reflection of their work here at Melbourne Victory, and if they're doing the right thing here, that means my team will be doing really well, so I'm happy for that. Then the reward of that is that they get to go to a World Cup if and when selected. So day to day for them, it's about doing the right thing here for themselves and Melbourne Victory first. And if they do really well, then there's always that opportunity."


Another dark horse contender for a World Cup spot is 20-year-old Sebastian Esposito, who has joined Melbourne Victory on loan from Italian club Lecce in an effort to gain senior minutes. While the sample size is small, Esposito has shown positive signs so far this season. He has also gained valuable international tournament experience at the recent under-20 FIFA World Cup, where he captained the Young Socceroos and demonstrated solid individual performances.

It's most likely that Popovic will feel Esposito is not yet experienced enough to deserve one of the 23 coveted squad places. Nonetheless, it should be a goal Esposito tries to chase as the season progresses, because all it takes is an injury or two. Spots can become wide open for the taking. Esposito was asked whether he sees the World Cup as a goal following the draw with Auckland.


"For me, the most important thing is playing well at club level and trying to win a championship," Esposito said.

"Because for me, it's very important in my first professional season I make sure that I try to contribute as well as I can to my club, and then hopefully the rest takes care of itself."

READ MORE ON FPF

With eight months until the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many more players in the A-League are going to be fighting for one of the 23 places available in the Socceroos squad. Tony Popovic will have a challenging task ahead of him, making tough decisions as he looks to bring more World Cup success to the Socceroos. Front Page Football will be here all season, keeping you up to date with who is making a run for the World Cup.


Click here to read more of Front Page Football's coverage of the A-Leagues!

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