Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Socceroos World Cup defender Jason Geria has urged schools and workplaces to let Australians watch Friday’s 12pm AEST clash with Paraguay national football team, while also calling for stronger government support for football.
Australia men’s national football team face a key World Cup match against Paraguay, and Geria wants the buzz around Tony Popovic’s squad to reach classrooms, offices, pubs and homes. The defender also said federal funding could help lower grassroots fees and give more young players a chance to play.
For more World Cup coverage, read World Cup Golden Boot Race Heats Up As Lionel Messi Leads Kylian Mbappe And Erling Haaland, while official tournament updates are available through the FIFA World Cup 2026 page.
Geria Wants Australia Watching
When asked about children being told they could not watch the Paraguay match, Geria replied: "Let them watch!
He joked that teachers could wheel televisions into classrooms or use students’ iPads so they could follow the game.
"12pm on a Friday, it doesn't get much better than that leading into the weekend.
"So if they could let their employees or let their students watch, that would be amazing."
Funding Plea After Prime Minister Meeting
Geria said he, Awer Mabil and Milos Degenek recently spoke with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about football’s place in Australia.
"We tried to give him a nudge in the direction of helping football a little bit more than it has been," Geria said.
"We made it a point to show what football has done for us and how big it is in the country, and then the legacy that's been built so far.
"If the government can help us out in improving on that by giving a little bit more help, I think that'll go a long way and help the future generations more."
Geria said a home of football would help, but reducing grassroots costs was also key.
"Football isn't an elite sport, it's a sport for everyone.
"The more access that people are allowed to have to it, the better it's going to be and more talent we're going to be able to find when there's not that barrier of having to pay a few thousand dollars for registration.
"We can find these diamonds in the rough and I think there's a lot of them out there. So the more help I think we can get in a broader scale, the better."
