Goalkeeper dropped despite strong start to La Liga season
Seven uncapped players called into 26-man Australia squad
Captain Maty Ryan has been left out of the Socceroos squad altogether for upcoming games against Brazil, while coach Tony Popovic has called up seven uncapped players for Australia’s first matches since the World Cup.
Ryan lost his starting spot to young goalkeeper Patrick Beach at the World Cup, then was bizarrely substituted on for the round-of-32 penalty shootout against Egypt.
The Socceroos skipper said after that loss he was only told he might replace Beach as extra time kicked off – though Popovic has since insisted Ryan knew that was a possibility pre-match.
Levante goalkeeper Ryan, 34, has enjoyed a strong start to the La Liga season and is a fascinating omission.
Uncapped St Mirren goalkeeper Jacob Chapman replaces Ryan, joining Beach and Paul Izzo in the squad, and is one of seven uncapped players for games in Brisbane on 25 September and Townsville on 28 September.
Untried left-back Kasey Bos, younger brother of injured star Jordan Bos, has been called up for another camp along with fellow untested defender Dylan Leonard, 19.
Former A-League sensations Marcus Younis (Brondby IF) and Eli Adams (Gamba Osaka) earn maiden call-ups alongside Kealey Adamson (QPR), Chapman and Yaya Dukuly (NK Celje).
Sixteen players from the 26-man World Cup squad return.
Star left-back Jordan Bos (knee) and central defender Cam Burgess (achilles) are unavailable.
Cristian Volpato (hamstring) is sidelined, while Popovic will speak for the first time since the Sassuolo attacker was last week fined for driving with cocaine in his system in July. Volpato has maintained his innocence and will challenge the charges in court.
Riley McGree and Patrick Yazbek return after missing the World Cup through injury while Alex Robertson has been recalled.
Cameron Devlin, Nishan Velupillay, Mathew Leckie, Ajdin Hrustic, Kai Trewin and Awer Mabil have been omitted. Aziz Behich is the only A-League Men player in the squad.
“We are looking forward to coming together for the first time since the Fifa World Cup 2026,” Popovic said in a statement.
“We have picked a squad with an eye on the Asian Cup and an eye on the future, and it’s a great opportunity for us to continue growing as a team.
“We are also very excited to be playing at home for the first time since March in what are two crucial matches for us, against Brazil, the most successful team in Fifa World Cup history.
“We will only have two camps and four matches before we select our Asian Cup squad, so these matches are critical for us in preparation for our next major tournament.”
Goalkeepers : Patrick Beach, Jacob Chapman*, Paul Izzo
Defenders : Kealey Adamson*, Aziz Behich, Kasey Bos*, Alessandro Circati, Milos Degenek, Jason Geria, Lucas Herrington, Jacob Italiano, Dylan Leonard*, Harry Souttar
Midfielders : Jackson Irvine, Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Aiden O’Neill, Paul Okon-Engstler, Alexander Robertson, Patrick Yazbek
Forwards : Eli Adams*, Yaya Dukuly*, Nestory Irankunda, Mohamed Toure, Tete Yengi, Marcus Younis*