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Although many people don't know it, Australia, a country famous for
Rugby Union, Rugby League and Australian Rules football, has had a
national football squad nicknamed the 'Socceroos' since 1922. That year
the Australian national football team was formed for a tour of
New Zealand. And for the next quarter of a century, the side played
many 'friendly' games with New Zealand, China and South Africa. But due
to its isolated position geographically, it played few other countries
over the following decades.
In terms of Australia's international football accomplishments, the
Australian national football squad played in the FIFA World Cup for the
first time in 1974. But the team, which was in a group with East
Germany, West Germany and Chile, was knocked out in round 1. And that
ended Australia's World Cup aspirations for the next 32 years, until
the team entered the 2006 World Cup where it qualified to be in a group
with Brazil, Croatia and Japan. Australia made it all the way to the
final 16, the first Oceanian team ever to do so in the history of the
tournament, where it succumbed to Italy 1-0.
The Australian national football team has qualified for the 2010 World
Cup in South Africa and will be in a group with Germany, Serbia and
Ghana. The Australian national football team falls under the control of
Football Federation
Australia (FFA). Due to Australia's proximity to Asia, the FFA is also
a member of the Asian Football
Confederation as well as sometime member of the ASEAN Football
Federation.
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