In what could be seen as a resurgence of Australian football, Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2005.http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/asia/teams/team=43976/profile.html Australia made the 2006 FIFA World Cup for the first time in 32 years and just its second appearance overall. However, it made a name for itself by qualifying for the knockout stage. The team finished second in its group, behind Brazil and ahead of Croatia and Japan. It was eliminated in the final minutes by Italy, which would go on to be champions. http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43976/profile.html

This year, Australia was one of the first nations to reach South Africa FIFA World Cup 2010. It went through an impressive streak of seven matches without losing.http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43976/profile.html The team is currently known for its defense and has proven that it should be respected at the international level. Coach Pim Verbeek is focused on improving the 2006 performance and making the quarterfinals this time.http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/asia/teams/team=43976/profile.html Australia is ranked first in continental ranking and was ranked as high as 14 in September 2009, a further testiment to show that the team should be taken seriously. http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=aus/ranking/gender=m/index.html