Australia's Arnold to break coaching record as World Cup qualifying starts

MELBOURNE : Having taken Australia to new heights at last year's World Cup in Qatar, coach Graham Arnold will scale a peak of his own when the Socceroos kick off qualifying for the 2026 finals in North America.

The 60-year-old will guide his nation in a 59th 'A' international against Bangladesh on Thursday, eclipsing the Australian record held with friend and former Socceroos team mate Frank Farina.

While reluctant to make a big deal out of it, Arnold can expect a warm reception at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, particularly if his Socceroos thump the low-ranked South Asians.

Arnold, after all, steered a lightly-regarded squad to two wins and a round-of-16 appearance in Qatar, their best performance at a World Cup.

Just getting the Socceroos to the tournament was a triumph given the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Australia all but shutting its borders, the Socceroos had to play many of their home qualifiers abroad and only squeezed into the Qatar finals via playoffs.

Qualifying for the 48-team World Cup in 2026 should be a cakewalk by comparison, with eight Asian teams able to qualify directly, double the allocation for Qatar.

Arnold will again hope to break new ground as the first coach to take Australia to two World Cups, while regenerating a squad sapped of experience by player retirements.

"If I asked you how many players aren't here who were in Qatar? Seventeen," Arnold told a press conference on Wednesday.

"So, you know, it's how quick national team football can go.

"I've always been one that keeps my eyes open - for not (just) plan A for now. I always have plan B and plan C for the future because things can change very quickly."

FAILED CAMPAIGNS

Arnold has learned the hard way how to deal with the