Less than 24 hours after the Socceroos booked their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hundreds of Australians have already started planning their trips.
Needing only to avoid a 5-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their qualifying tie in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Tony Popovic’s side defeated their hosts 2-1 – and fans across the nation began dusting down their passports.
Sydney lawyer Connor Jarvis has been playing and following the game since the age of four. After experiencing his first World Cup in Russia in 2018, the 29-year-old is excited to attend the 2026 edition, to be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
“Going to any world event like this, is kind of just a carnival atmosphere,” he says. “Everyone’s there to have a wonderful time. You meet people from all over the world, everyone’s speaking the same language – football.
“You talk about the players, talk about the games … I met this guy who’d sold all of his possessions just to go and see Peru playing in the Russia World Cup because it was the first time they’d qualified [in 35 years].
“There’s the depth of feeling and camaraderie we have. We’re all people in this world, and it’s just a nice way for us all to come together.”
Socceroos fan Connor Jarvis will be attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the team qualified on Wednesday morning. Credit: Edwina Pickles
Jarvis is far from alone. In the hours after the Socceroos’ qualification was confirmed, the inboxes of tour companies were inundated with messages from fans seeking information about travelling to the US.
Michael Edgley, a director at Green and Gold Army Travel – which specialises in organising World Cup packages – says hundreds of fans reached out to him on Wednesday, while thousands had already expressed interest before the Socceroos even qualified.
“Our registrations of interest for Qatar were in the hundreds. Our registrations of interest for the USA, Mexico, Canada are in the thousands,” said Edgley.
“That’s a good example of where the appeal of this event lies. There’s 7000 to 10,000 Australians that regularly go to World Cups … most of those people will want to go to Mexico, because they understand that Mexico is a thriving football nation.”
The Socceroos are through to a sixth straight World Cup.Credit: Getty Images
Kevin Pollard, of Travelrite International and the founder of supporters’ group Football Roos, has supported the Socceroos at the last five World Cups, stretching back to Germany in 2006. Next year, on what will be his sixth trip, he intends to take his 10-year-old son, Callum, for the first time.
“I sent out the email at about 9.30 this morning, and over 50 people have reached out already,” said Pollard. “We generally have small group tours. It’s just easy to manage, we have a maximum of about 100.
“People missed Qatar last time [in 2022, due to COVID disruptions], and they’re getting ready for this one. So there’ll be a lot of interest.”
Pollard said his tours for the 2026 World Cup would cost around $8000, but prices could not be finalised until the draw determines the venues at which the Socceroos will play. The tours typically do not include flights or match tickets, but cover accommodation, transportation around the city, sightseeing and food.
