Does Marcus Younis have scope to force his way into the Socceroos for the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Does anyone that hasn’t previously been a part of one of Tony Popovic’s plans? What of those who have been cruelled by injury? Ultimately, only Popovic can truly answer these questions. But Younis is at the vanguard of those doing all they can to ensure that the Socceroos’ gaffer is being given even more to think about. Time, though, is their enemy.
Thundering in a 17th-minute effort last Sunday, Younis grabbed his seventh goal in what was just his 11th Melbourne City game since landing back in Australia on loan in January in what would be a Golden Boot winning 16 goal-pace across the length of a full season. Combined with three assists, as well as a goal and two assists in the Asian Champions League Elite, Younis has been averaging a goal involvement every 86 minutes. If you restrict it to his last four games, that figure shrinks to a goal or an assist once every 47 minutes — grabbing five goals during that period as well as two assists.
Without question, City wouldn’t be playing in the A-League Men finals if it weren’t for the presence of the on-loan Brøndby IF player. Add to this an eye test that speaks to a footballer blessed with explosiveness, bravery, physicality and game-breaking ability even at his tender age, and it’s not difficult to explain why the 20-year-old has been generating hype. And with Popovic himself watching on from the stands, the “call-me” celebration Younis flashed after his goal last weekend spoke volumes about how he thinks he’s playing.
– A-League Men report cards: Which club gets an F?
– Lynch: How Sargent’s Norwich exit boosted Australia’s WC hopes
– World Cup kit ranking: Which teams will look best in 2026?
Is this enough to get him into the World Cup squad, though? Well, with the significant disclaimer that it was Graham Arnold making the call back then, not Popovic, it would have gone very close in 2022 — Younis’ pace across the past month almost an exact mirror of Garang Kuol‘s scintillating run home that earned him a place in Qatar. And while the now-21-year-old’s career is still in its formative stages, few would look back on Kuol’s late chance against Argentina that required the miraculous intervention of Emiliano Martínez and suggest he didn’t do his job at the 2022 World Cup as a late spark.
But Younis isn’t the only player that’s doing all they can to prove their worth — or fitness — to Popovic. City’s evening last Sunday was spoiled in no small part due to the return of Adelaide United talisman Craig Goodwin from a long-term groin injury; the 34-year-old introduced in the 78th minute and promptly credited with the assist for Luka Jovanović‘s equaliser and then being involved in the build-up for his dramatic late winner. Mat Leckie had also continued his return from groin surgery in that contest. And, the day prior, Harry Souttar made his first appearance since rupturing his Achilles on Boxing Day in 2024 and was best afield in already-relegated Leicester City‘s 1-1 draw with Millwall; not just clearing anything and everything sent above waist-height into the Foxes’ penalty area but also abandoning all sense of sense-preservation to hurl himself at a 78th-minute cross and bundle it over the line.
To be certain, all are facing an uphill battle to make the World Cup squad. For with less than a month to go until an extended Socceroo unit begins to assemble in Florida for a pre-tournament camp and even less time before that group of finalised, they, and any other players with their eyes on a remarkable late surge, face the inescapable challenge that there is simply scant few opportunities left to press their case before and overcome the hurdles between them and an elusive spot on the plane.
Souttar would appear to be the best-placed to come in when the squad is named on June 1, mostly because of his status — when fully fit — as one of the best players, not just defenders, that Australia has at its disposal. Already having proven he can perform on the World Cup stage with very little football under his belt in 2022, the towering centre-back was a consistent first-choice player during the brief period when he was available to Popovic, and he brings an invaluable presence at both ends of the park as well as in the dressing room. Without question, attempting to break down a back-three of him, Alessandro Circati, and Cameron Burgess is one that few in Türkiye, the United States, or Paraguay would relish.
Popovic already acknowledged ahead of the March window that he’d given serious consideration to including Souttar in his squad, only to refrain from giving him the best chance of returning for Leicester before the season was out. And with the 27-year-old now doing that, one could realistically anticipate that the only thing standing between him and another World Cup is getting through what will be a hellacious test of his fitness in Florida.
Leckie and Goodwin’s bonafides at World Cup-level are established, too. However, neither would likely be starters at the World Cup and, unlike Souttar, who played a full 90 minutes in his return, both are yet to get through a full game. And even if they’re fit (or fit enough), do they fit with what the coach wants? Leckie (who, it is worth acknowledging, thinks all this talk is premature) has never played under Popovic, especially in his new deeper-lying midfield role, while the last time we saw Goodwin, he was having a tough day at left wing-back against Venezuela.
For Younis, meanwhile, and any other player with dreams of coming from the clouds, such as a Jovanović, Tete Yengi, or maybe even a Clayton Taylor or Max Burgess, they face the challenge of unfamiliarity and no résumé of national-team contributions to fall back on. They’ve never previously been a part of the steep-learning curve involved in being in one of Popovic’s camps — something that isn’t the case for other bolters such as Jacob Italiano and Lucas Herrington.
Indeed, one of the defining themes of the coach’s tenure as Socceroos boss is that he’s established a core of players that he trusts to meet his standard and work within his system. He’s not trying to build a team with the best collection of individual talent, but, instead, a unit that will come together and deliver the best collective function. If you’ve never been part of a squad, you’d effectively get two weeks in Florida and a friendly against Mexico to demonstrate that you fit. Thus, given the stakes, being a wildcard might not be that helpful right now.
Further, while it’s all well and good for us to talk about who deserves to be in the squad, it’s a lot harder to put yourself out there and declare who shouldn’t be. Who do you drop for a Souttar? Or a Younis? Who misses out, whose profile do you lose, to add them in their place?
But despite this, we can’t say the door has been shut by Popovic, either, given he’s repeatedly stated that he’s open to players surprising him and us. He’s ultimately in the business of winning football games, so you’d think that if you can contribute and make the collective better, you’ll get consideration. And with the decision to hold off naming the final squad until June 1, as opposed to other nations that will tap their squads in May, and the Florida training camp providing one final opportunity to impress in person, the door, no matter how small the gap is, could still be ajar.
