SYDNEY, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The head coach of Australia's Socceroos, Tony Popovic, has named an extended 26-man squad on Sunday for the final fixtures in the third round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Australia currently sits second in Group C with 13 points from eight games and will play first-placed Japan in Western Australia on Thursday and third-placed Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on the following Tuesday.

The top two-ranked teams will qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup and a win against Japan would guarantee qualification for the Socceroos.

If the Australians are beaten by Japan in Perth, a draw against Saudi Arabia would likely be enough to finish second in the group because of the Socceroos' current three-point and goal difference advantage.

"We've put ourselves in a good position within the group to be in control of our destiny," Popovic said on Sunday. "We are ready to embrace this challenge with great respect of our opponents, though full of belief and confidence to achieve our goal of automatic qualification."

Popovic's squad includes four players who have never represented the Socceroos and only two who have made over 50 appearances for the national team -- veteran goalkeeper Maty Ryan and defender Azi Behich.

Behich is one of six squad members who played in Saturday night's A-League grand final, which was won by Melbourne City against crosstown rivals Melbourne Victory.

Emerging defender Alessandro Circati has been named after recovering from a ruptured ACL injury suffered in September 2024 and star midfielder Riley McGree has also been selected to return from injury.

If the Socceroos do not finish in the top two positions in Group C they will progress to the fourth round of AFC qualification as they aim to reach a sixth consecutive World Cup. ■