What to know if you're jumping on the Socceroos bandwagon

Here's what to know if you're jumping on the Socceroos World Cup bandwagon Sun 14 Jun 2026 at 5:15am The world's biggest sporting event is back on our screens, and Australia is just hours away from taking the pitch. If you're a novice who wants to keep up with the hype, we've got you covered. Here is a pocket guide to get you across the basics. Tell me about the games The Socceroos are guaranteed to play at least three matches. That's because the first round of the FIFA World Cup (known as the group stage) is played as a round-robin tournament. For this round, Australia has been sorted into a group with Paraguay, the United States and Türkiye, so we'll have one game against each team. Here's a closer look at those fixtures. Location: BC Place Vancouver Time: 2pm AEST Location: Seattle Stadium Time: 5am AEST Location: San Francisco Bay Area Time: 12pm AEST Every game beyond the group stage is a knock-out match, meaning if a team loses, they're eliminated from World Cup contention. This year, the tournament has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams, which means we'll get an extra knock-out round. How can I follow along? ABC Sport will be live-blogging every World Cup game, and we will have extensive coverage of all the tournament's biggest storylines here. ABC Sport will provide radio commentary of all Socceroos games, key group stage games, and all of the knockout stage. You can also watch all Socceroos matches live on SBS and SBS On Demand. Let's dive into the squad There's a lot of expectation on the Socceroos to perform well this year. The squad has been through a generational rebuild that brought in a suite of young players. It's also the first World Cup with Tony Popovic as head coach. At the last World Cup (in Qatar in 2022), Australia matched its best-ever result by reaching the Round of 16. That set a bit of a benchmark for this tournament's squad to hopefully reach, or even surpass. So who'll be playing in North America? Popovic revealed the 26 players Australia would be taking to the tournament on June 1. On paper, it looks like quite an offensive squad but their strategy in warm-up games has been more guarded, not unlike Popovic's patient playing style! One key quote "As an organisation, you would have to say decisions like … awarding this peace prize makes a mockery of what they're trying to do with the human rights charter." — Jackson Irvine, Socceroos midfielder The tournament organiser has its own a chequered human rights record, despite having its own human rights policy. Last year, the governing body launched the FIFA Peace Prize to reward individuals who have taken "exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace". The inaugural prize went to US President Donald Trump, leading several human rights organisations to accuse FIFA of facilitating "sportswashing" (where governments use sporting events to sanitise their reputations while committing human rights abuses). "Trump policies on refugees, crackdowns on free speech, maritime strikes that amount to extrajudicial killings and deportations of asylum seekers are at odds with any credible 'peace prize'," Human Rights Watch director of global initiatives Minky Worden wrote in December. Outspoken Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine made headlines in April for his take on the president receiving the prize. "Decisions like that feel like they just set us back in the perceived market of what football currently is, especially at the top level where it's becoming so disconnected from society and the grassroots of what the game actually is and means in our communities and in the world," he told Reuters in April. Teach me the rules So, we've covered when the Socceroos are playing and who's on the squad; now it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty of the rule book! Our team has gone through the International Football Association Board's (IFAB) Laws of the Game documents so you don't have to. Here are the key points to help you feel informed in the post-match chats. The basics Read moreIn its simplest terms, soccer is a sport where two teams try to score against each other by getting a ball into an opposing goal. Players cannot use their hands or arms to move the ball, with the exception of the goalkeepers inside their designated penalty areas. Each team will have 11 players on the field at any given time, including their goalkeeper. However, if a player is handed a red card, they are sent off the pitch and their team must play without someone to replace them. Games are played in two 45-minute halves, with a 15-minute half-time interval in between. During half-time, players and coaching staff return to their locker rooms. This year, each half will also feature a three-minute water break for players to cool down. The breaks were introduced to prioritise player welfare, addressing concerns about the summer heat. Added time Read moreAdded time is essentially trying to make up for the time gameplay is paused. It can be for a range of reasons, including: - substitutions - assessment and/or removal of injured players - wasting time - disciplinary sanctions - medical stoppages permitted by competition rules e.g. "drinks" breaks (which should not exceed 1 minute) and "cooling" breaks (90 seconds to 3 minutes) - delays relating to video assisted referee "checks" and "reviews" - goal celebrations (say if someone celebrates a goal by doing a series of flips ending with a full twisting layout … that might take a bit of time and interrupt the game) Extra time Read moreExtra time only happens during the knock-out rounds, at the end of the game (including the added time), both teams have the same score. In the group stage, draws are allowed, but beyond that, a winner has to be declared at the end of every game. Extra time allows for two more periods of play not exceeding 15 minutes each. If after extra time the score is still tied, the teams go to a penalty shootout to decide the winner. The offside rule Read moreA player is in an offside position if: - they're standing in their opponent's half; and - they're nearer to the goal than both the ball and the last line of defenders at the exact moment the ball is passed to them by a teammate. However, an offside player is only penalised if they become involved in play. And there's no offside offence if a player receives the ball directly from an opposition player, a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick. If a player is offside, the referee will award the other team an indirect free kick where the offence occurred. Penalty shootouts Read moreThese occur when both players have the same score, they've already gone into extra time and a winner needs to be decided. Each team gets five penalty kicks at the goal, with only the opposing team's goalkeeper able to attempt to block it. Each penalty kick is taken by a different player and all eligible players must have a penalty kick before a player has a second go. What happens if there is no winner at the end of those five kicks? They keep going. The kicks continue until a team has scored one goal more than the other from the same number of attempts. Free kicks Read moreA free kick is when a player on one team does something wrong and the referee gives the other team a chance to kick the ball while play has stopped. A penalty is essentially the same thing, except the kick is taken inside the penalty box, which is directly in front of the goal, and opposing players aren't allowed to interfere until after the shot is taken. Goals can be scored from either a free kick or a penalty kick, but they are more easily achieved from penalties. Yellow cards Read moreIt's a type of disciplinary action a referee can take against a player (or an official) if they purposefully do the wrong thing. Think of it as a warning that, if they keep doing what they're doing, they'll be sent off. A referee will hold up a yellow card to indicate a player has committed what's called a "cautionable" offence. A player can get one of those in a game and continue to play. However, the yellow card count doesn't necessarily start at zero once the game is over. This year's FIFA World Cup rules state that, if players or team officials receive two cautions during two different matches, they will automatically be suspended from their team's next match. Slates will be wiped clean for players with single yellow cards after the group stage and after the quarter-finals. What's a cautionable offence? - delaying the restart of play - dissent by word or action - entering, re-entering or deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee's permission - failing to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a dropped ball, corner kick, free kick or throw-in - persistent offences (no specific number or pattern of offences constitutes "persistent") - unsporting behaviour - entering the referee review area - excessively using the "review" (TV screen) signal Red cards Read moreMore serious than a yellow card, a red card signifies a player is being sent off the pitch. A referee could hold up a red card after a player commits another cautionable offence after having already been yellow-carded. Or a player can get red carded without having previously been given a yellow card for committing what's called "a sending-off offence". When someone's red carded, they cannot rejoin the game and their team is not allowed to substitute another player for them. This means their team is down a player for the rest of the game — which is better for the other team. But the consequences of a red card don't end when the match is over — it can result in bans for future games too. The World Cup rules state that a red card automatically means the player is banned from their team's next game. What's a sending-off offence? - denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by a handball offence (except a goalkeeper within their penalty area) - denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent whose overall movement is towards the offender's goal by an offence punishable by a free kick - serious foul play - biting or spitting at someone - violent conduct - using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or action(s) - covering one's mouth during a confrontation with an opponent - leaving the field in protest of a referee's decision - receiving a second caution in the same match - entering the video operation room New rules Read moreFIFA introduced a handful of new rules ahead of this tournament. Here are some of the key changes you might notice. Water breaks FIFA has added three-minute water breaks to each half for this year's tournament. The breaks, which begin after 22 minutes of play, are designed to allow players to rehydrate and cool down from the summer heat. Covering mouths In the past, some players have been caught covering their mouths to conceal their use of racial slurs. To prevent similar incidents from occurring, the International Football Association Board introduced a rule amendment that allows referees to red card players who are caught covering their mouths during a confrontation with an opposing player. This will be the first World Cup where doing so could result in a player being sent off for such an offence. The No Racism gesture It's possible you may see players making an X gesture by crossing their arms at the wrists. This is FIFA's No Racism gesture, which indicates the player has been targeted by, or has witnessed racist abuse from another player. It activates a three-step anti-discrimination procedure, starting with a stoppage of play. If the incident continues upon the match being restarted, the referee can suspend the match and send both teams back to their locker rooms. The match can be abandoned altogether if the incident continues further. Pop quiz So, you've brushed up on the rules of the game. Let's check how well you know them! Loading