Tony Popovic Praises Socceroos After Historic World Cup Opener vs. Turkey

Australia delivered one of the early shocks of the 2026 FIFAWorld Cup on Saturday night, defeating Turkey 2-0 at BC Place in Vancouver. The Crescent-Stars entered as heavy favorites and left without a single point, while the Socceroos, a side nobody had going on a deep tournament run, now sits tied with the United States at the top of Group D.

After the match, Australia’s head coach Tony Popovic spoke with reporters and instantly pushed back on the upset narrative.

“There may be shocks for a lot of people, but not shocks within our main group or staff because we’re all working together every day, and we can see the quality of these young boys, Popovic said. “It’s a team selected to perform well.”

20-year-old Watford winger Nestory Irankunda and 26-year-old St. Pauli midfielder Connor Metcalfe were the two goalscorers on Australia’s side, while 22-year-old Melbourne City goalkeeper Patrick Beach made eight saves.

Irankunda became the youngest player in Australia’s men’s national team history to score a goal at a FIFA World Cup.

However, even after the historic win, Popovic was quick to temper expectations. “The nations we’re playing in this World Cup in the group stages are fantastic teams. Maybe the perception changes slightly because we’ve beaten Turkey, a big nation. We beat them 2-0. But we’ve still got a lot of work to do. We’ve got to move on to the U.S. game,” he said.

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The United States opened the tournament with a dominant 4-1 win over Paraguay on Thursday, and Australia will face them next on June 19 in Seattle. Popovic’s side will be aiming to reach their second straight knockout rounds after falling 2-1 to Argentina in the Round of 16 in Qatar. The USMNT, meanwhile, will be looking to avenge their own Round of 16 defeat in 2022, where they fell 3-1 to the Netherlands.

For now, though, Popovic was happy to let his players and fans enjoy the moment. “Tonight’s a special night for all Socceroo fans here, and I’m sure back home. It’s quite special and unique, and I’m glad that we made them very happy tonight,” he said. “They saw a team fighting throughout the whole game, a young team, a lack of experience, but a lot of quality.”

“It’s pleasing to hear that elite athletes from other codes would want to watch the Socceroos. And I think that’s what the World Cup and the Socceroos can do for all Australians,” he added. “The whole country gets behind this tournament and the Socceroos, and I’m delighted that everybody wanted to watch the game.”

After the U.S., Australia will close out their group stage against Paraguay on June 25, who sits at the bottom of the group alongside Turkey with zero points. A win or draw against the United States would likely be enough to send them into the knockout stages, while Turkey faces an uphill battle to advance.

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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 1:16 PM.