Socceroos coach Graham Arnold won't waste energy worrying about Japan on the road to qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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Australia must once again go toe-to-toe with Asia's top-ranked side after being drawn in the same group for the next stage of qualifying.
The last time the Socceroos tasted victory against the four-time Asian champions was in 2009, but Arnold isn't interested in revising history.
Currently the second-highest ranked team in Group C, Arnold's plans focus on beating the countries below them: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China and Indonesia.
If the Socceroos do that, they should finish in the top two of their six-team pool and automatically qualify for the 2026 finals.
"Japan are a good side but ... what's important, very important, are those teams below us," Arnold said.
"We beat Saudi, beat Bahrain, beat China, beat Indonesia twice, and we go direct to the World Cup."
The teams who finish third and fourth following the home-and-away fixtures from September to June next year will be thrust into another group stage.
Japan condemned the Socceroos to that fate for the 2022 tournament after securing a 2-0 win in their previous meeting.
In the end, after emerging victorious from a sudden-death play-off against Peru, Australia made it to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup with their run ended by eventual champions Argentina.
"My expectation and my goal is to qualify direct," said Arnold. "No one wants to go through playoffs. No one wants to go through penalty shootouts again.
"We can go there and do something strong and perform well, and we go there expecting to win every game."
The Socceroos first take on Bahrain at home on September 5 before travelling to Indonesia.
Australian Associated Press
