Key posts
Poll: Who will win?
Who do you think will win this year’s world cup?
Can Socceroos follow Saudi Arabia and shock world champions?
I wonder where Emmanuel Macron will be watching this Group D match from. In fact, where’s ScoMo taking it all in?
Needless to say, let’s hope it ends on a better note for Australia than the impromptu sideline press briefing the French president gave at the G20 summit last year.
Anyway, enough of the politics. This is the World Cup, and politics isn’t supposed to be part of this, unless it’s the opening few days in Qatar and beer has been banned from stadiums, or Iran’s players refuse to sing their national anthem, or the governing body threatens to issue yellow cards to captains who wear a One Love armband.
Just over half-an-hour away and the atmosphere is building for a match which will pit the Socceroos’ as arguably the biggest underdogs of the tournament. But we can dare to dream, can’t we?
After all, Saudi Arabia did beat Lionel Messi’s Argentina last night, for those of you just catching up.
Four years in the making leads to France match
It’s been four years in the making and a gruelling qualification, spanning all corners of Asia and that penalty shootout with the Grey Wiggle, has brought Graham Arnold’s Australia to this moment.
Stay with us as we take you through the build-up, all the action from Al Janoub Stadium and then the reaction afterwards.
I think it’s going to be a cracking morning. In fact, I don’t think, I know.
I wonder who will come out on top on the football pitch?Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Good morning
G’day everyone and welcome to our FIFA World Cup live blog as the Socceroos open their campaign against France at the Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar.
It’s Roy Ward here and I will be supporting our main blogger Adam Pengilly on this morning’s live coverage.
We will have plenty of stories and posts heading up to game time at 6am AEDT and please feel free to leave a comment on the blog at any time.
The Socceroos have a huge task ahead of them to take down the reigning world champions but as Saudi Arabia showed in their win over Argentina last night, anything is possible in this year’s tournament.
Please enjoy the hours to come.
