When Football Australia (FA) announced the Socceroos’ squad for the FIFA World Cup, there was plenty of interest on the mix of experienced and new players.

Tony Popovic’s squad features 17 players selected for a World Cup for the first time. At the other end of the scale, Mat Ryan and Mathew Leckie were chosen for a fourth World Cup, matching the national record held by Tim Cahill and Mark Milligan.

But looking at the squad more broadly, what does its makeup tell us about Australia’s junior talent pathways and development?

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Some states and territories shine – others don’t

The junior clubs of the 2026 Socceroos reveal several notable patterns.

New South Wales (seven) and Victoria (six) produced 13 of the 25 players selected. This dominance is unsurprising given the population size of the states and their extensive network of junior clubs and elite development pathways.

The state performing above expectations is South Australia (five players). Western Australia also performed strongly with three, while the ACT was a notable contributor with two.

But the Northern Territory and Tasmania were unrepresented – unsurprisingly, given their smaller populations and limited development pathways. This is made even harder by the absence of A-League representation in the Northern Territory and Tasmania.

Cities versus non-metropolitan........

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