Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Socceroos Mexico friendly will give Tony Popovic one last look at his players before he makes the final cuts to Australia’s World Cup squad.
Australia will face Mexico on Saturday night, Sunday AEST, in front of a capacity crowd before Popovic confirms his 26-player squad for the tournament.
For more football history, read Arsenal Cup Winners’ Cup triumph remembered as George Graham’s side stunned Parma.
Popovic faces tough squad calls
Australia’s training squad sits at 30 players after Cristian Volpato’s late switch from Italy, although the attacker is expected to have only limited involvement against Mexico.
Popovic has used an extended camp to test players before making final decisions, rather than naming his squad early.
"It's never nice for a coach in terms of what's coming up in telling some players that they won't be here, but when we started the journey and the process, we knew that we would come to this point," Popovic said.
"And the more players that we could bring into our squad, into our environment, we believe that we can make the squad better.
"I'm really looking forward to the game. I can't wait for the match, and then we need to make some decisions, and then we go to our base camp."
Heat and crowd offer World Cup feel
Mathew Leckie can press his case after an injury-hit run, while Volpato and Tete Yengi may also get chances to push for selection.
Popovic and defender Harry Souttar both see the Mexico match as ideal World Cup preparation, especially with Australia set to face the United States in the group stage.
"The game is a wonderful game, obviously unique history about this stadium, playing the host nation, Mexico, 70,000-plus people," Popovic said.
Australia’s squad is due to FIFA on June 1. The Socceroos then face Switzerland on June 6 before World Cup group matches against Turkey, the United States and Paraguay.
Fans can follow official team updates through the Socceroos website.