Australia is set to play an opening match that they would love to play the reigning champions France should they advance through to the World Cup finals in Qatar.
The draw on Friday put players from the Socceroos in a tough and somewhat familiar group D with their 2018 World Champions as well Denmark as well as Tunisia. It was interesting to note that they played in both Denmark in addition to France at the stage in 2018 of the Group Stages of Russia where they lost 1-1 to the eventual champions before draw 1-1 against the Danes in the end, being eliminated in the bottom half in the Group.
However it's not an assured possibility that Australia can even get to the main event at all. Graham Arnold's team must first defeat Australia in the United Arab Emirates in the Asian play-off in Doha on June 7, and after that Peru in the intercontinental play-off one week later in order to reach the finals at the end of the year.
However, If Australia is currently at 42nd place globally, manages to manage to win these two one-off "finals' which is a huge task due to their inconsistent form of late - they'll be the initial opponent for France on the 22nd of November as the No. 3 team in the world and two-time champions embark to defend their title.
The Socceroos will play 35th-ranked Tunisia typically one of the strongest teams in Africa on the 26th of November. A match with Tunisia will be only two times Australia has faced an African nation in the World Cup after a 1-1 draw against Ghana during the group stage of the tournament in 2010.
The final match of the group on November 30 will be against the 11th-ranked Denmark. It could be a new date for Christian Eriksen, who scored against Australia in the 2018 World Cup in the event that he will be included in the Danes team following his impressive comeback from almost dying on the field during the European Championships.
But, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold believes that playing June's World Cup play-offs in "second home" Qatar is an advantageous for Australia.
After being given the go-ahead to Football Australia to lead Australia through the play-offs and end the speculation that he'd be fired, Arnold remains optimistic of the Socceroos chance of reaching the fifth time in a row to reach World Cup finals.
Because of COVID-19's restrictions Australia had home matches during their qualifying matches with China as well as Oman within Qatar and Arnold hopes that this will make his team feel comfortable in the neutral environment. "We've had that experience of being here in Qatar during the qualifiers but also playing in the air-conditioned stadiums," Arnold declared following drawing in Doha. "So we're able to take advantage of that. It's like having our second home.
"It's all about being positive, looking forward, and the players know very well what's at hand and what's important is they're working hard at their clubs, getting game time and they come into the camp fit and healthy."
While disappointed with the defeats suffered by Japan as well as Saudi Arabia in the past week that shattered any hopes of automatic qualification Arnold says both games had a chance to have been a win for Australia despite missing 11 players for various reasons.
"Against Japan we scored in the first half - disallowed - it should've been a goal," he added. "Even in Saudi Arabia, the second game Martin Boyle's goal that was offside when I look back it was a goal too. The two results were extremely close. We're playing ... I'm just looking for a complete team (for playoffs)."
The venues and times of World Cup fixtures will be determined later in the month in the same way that FIFA attempts to assign matches to broadcast times that are prime for viewers who live in the country of origin.
New Zealand, who must be the first to try and get a win in an inter-continental match-up with Costa Rica as they seek to qualify, are assigned to their own "group of death" alongside former winner Spain and Germany and Japan.
The most exciting preliminary is, in fact, likely to be Group G which will see five-times World Cup winners Brazil against Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
Other highlights of the draw on Friday in Doha, Qatari capital Doha and Doha, where France Coach Didier Deschamps was present holding the World Cup itself, include the US taking on England along with Iran in a highly competitive group B. The group will also feature the winner from the European play-off, which includes Wales, Scotland and Ukraine. This could be the first time ever to have a 'battle between Britain in the history of football, since England have never faced Wales or their former adversaries Scotland in the World Cup finals.
There will also be mouth-watering head-to-heads.
Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski both winners of Ballon d'Or and FIFA Best player of the World awards respectively - will play in group C , as Argentina face Poland. Group H will also feature Luis Suarez's return to Ghana as the only time they have played since that controversial quarter-final in 2010, where the Uruguayan was exiled for throwing away almost certainly a winner in extra time for Ghana's African team. Also, Cristiano Ronaldo will be opening his fifth consecutive finals for Portugal in that group , against Ghana.
The tournament runs from November 21 until December 18, which is the first time the trophy has ever been contested throughout the Middle East, with Qatar beginning games against Ecuador.