Australian soccer team at the world cup The History of the Australian soccer team at the world cup starts with Australia being known for its success in various sports. Still, its participation in the FIFA World Cup, the premier international soccer tournament, has been limited. The Australian national team, known as the Socceroos, has qualified for the World Cup six times: in 1974 and 2006 in Germany, in 2010 in South Africa, in 2014 in Brazil, in 2018 in Russia, and 2022 in Qatar. Before 1962, Australia did not participate in the World Cup. They certainly also failed to qualify for the 1966 and 1970 tournaments. In 1974, they were eliminated in the first round. From 1978 to 2002, the Socceroos did not qualify for the World Cup. but they returned to the tournament in 2006 and are now at the World cup in 2022.