The Socceroos will be out to go beyond the round of 16 which they attained in 2006 and 2010.Australia is not a great football country as such and has for some time now been trying to write their name in the annals of world football without much success. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil will therefore be an opportunity for the Socceroos to great an impact on the world scene by going beyond the 16^th final round, the highest level attained by the country in three participations at the global showpiece.

Australia’s first participation at the FIFA World Cup was in 1974 when they went back home without having scored a goal in the competition. Their greatest achievement that year was a goalless draw obtained against Chile with a team entirely made up of amateurs. They improved on their performance at the 2006 World Cup in Germany where they were butted out from the 16^th finals by Italy who went on to emerge champions. The Aussies could not repeat their exploit at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where their dreams were once more thwarted although this time Australia suffered a 4-0 loss against the European giants in a score line which ultimately scuppered their progress. A ten-man 1-1 draw against Ghana and a 2-1 win against Serbia saw the Aussies eliminated on goal difference, three goals off the BlackStars.
The road to Brazil was a bumpy one for Australia as they had to overcome erratic form to secure their progression. A narrow comeback win over Thailand and a loss to Oman in the opening stage served as a warning shot, although they ultimately sailed to the next phase as group winners. They got up to a poor start in the next round qualifiers, drawing against Oman and Japan before losing to Jordan 2-1. They made their comeback into contention with a victory over Iraq before two draws and a 4-0 defeat of Jordan paved the way for qualification ticket. They kept their cool in the final match of the round against Iraq as substitute Josh Kennedy scored late to seal their passage through. Coach Holger Osieck was dismissed in October 2013 after successive 6-0 defeats against Brazil and France, with former Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory and National Youth Teams coach Ange Postecoglou appointed.