Australia vs Palestine

HBF Park is the venue as Australia close their 2026 World Cup second-stage qualifying campaign against Palestine.

Despite securing a top-table finish in Group I with two games to spare, Australia refused to let complacency get the better of them, dispatching Bangladesh 2-0 last time out to maintain a 100% record in the ongoing qualifying cycle (W5). In addition to winning all five 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the ‘Socceroos’ have yet to concede a single goal, while four of their five victories yielded multi-goal margins. A 1-0 triumph at Palestine is the only blemish on this outstanding run, but the Aussies can draw confidence from winning both previous H2Hs ‘to nil.’ Delivering action from the get-go, Graham Arnold’s men have opened the scoring inside the first 30 minutes in all five Group I fixtures, highlighting the potential for a quick-fire start.

On the other hand, Palestine’s scoreless home draw against promotion rivals Lebanon last time out secured their progression into the third qualifying stage with a game to spare despite halting their two-match winning streak in Group I. Barring the abovementioned loss in the reverse fixture, the Lions of Canaan have gone unbeaten in all four remaining 2026 World Cup qualifiers (W2, D2), including both on the road (W1, D1). But low scoring has been a common theme in Palestine’s qualifying travels, with both matches seeing one or both sides fail to score in matches garnering under 1.5 goals. Keeping things tight at the back could be the visitors’ best chance to upset the odds, considering they’ve only won twice on their last ten road trips (D2, L6).