It's the penultimate countdown. There are now just two international windows left until Tony Popovic will unveil his final Socceroos squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first of which will arrive this month when Australia's men take on Venezuela and Colombia in United States-based friendlies.
Across Houston and New York -- which, unlike last month's host venues, Montreal and Denver, will serve as host cities for next year's World Cup -- the stakes for those called up will be clear. Both fixtures, as well as every training session, every meeting, and even every hallway interaction, will serve as an opportunity to leave an impression on Popovic and his staff, who have begun to zero in on their likely squad but who, the coach made very clear, will be open to any player putting their hand up.
"We have players in mind that we believe have, you could say, a foot in the door at the World Cup," the coach said this week. "But I've also seen the last couple of windows, that some other players have given me food for thought.
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"I envisage maybe in March, I have a better idea, but I still feel from March to June, that someone can surprise us. That someone is in good form, playing extremely well, that actually bypasses someone else. And I don't want to put a limit or a stop on that -- to announce in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions. No, I want every player to feel that they have an opportunity."
Beyond a battle for places in Popovic's plans, November also represents the final chance for the Socceroos to crash Pot 2 at next month's World Cup draw. After picking up +0.53 points in the October window, 25th-ranked Australia sits on 1584.02 points heading into this month, trailing 24th-ranked Austria's 1586.98, 23rd-ranked Ecuador's 1589.72, and the 1593.92 points of 22nd-ranked South Korea.
If the Socceroos want to move into Pot 2 and, in theory, an easier draw for the World Cup, wins against the Venezuelans and Colombians will almost certainly be required, as well as a slip-up from one of their rivals. Austria, who lost 14.88 ranking points after a shock loss to Romania last month, will face Cyprus and Bosnia and Herzegovina in European qualifiers, while Ecuador will face Canada and New Zealand in their own U.S.-staged friendlies. The Koreans will host Bolivia and Ghana.
So, it's a big window coming up. And here's ESPN's look at what the depth of the Socceroos might look like for it.
Goalkeepers
Starter: Mathew Ryan
Next in line: Paul Izzo, Joe Gauci, Patrick Beach, Lawrence Thomas
In the XI: Izzo's emergence will push Ryan -- which the Socceroos captain welcomes, of the belief that iron sharpens iron -- but playing week-in and week-out in LaLiga with Levante and firmly established and respected by his peers, Ryan retains the No. 1 role.
Rising: The A-League Men season is still young, and sample sizes are limited, but Beach has conceded just once in Melbourne City's three league games and starred in their Asian Champions League Elite win over Machida Zelvia on Tuesday. If there's any keeper that's going to break into this squad, it's looking like the 22-year-old.
Talking point: Izzo's play across the past two international windows, as well as his continued regular minutes at Randers, would suggest that he's supplanted Gauci as the Socceroos' number two. But is there an actual pathway to overhauling Ryan for the starting role, or would injury need to strike before such a switch occurred?
Left back
Starter: Kye Rowles
Next in line: Callum Elder, Sammy Silvera, Jason Davidson, Nathaniel Atkinson
Injured: Jordan Bos, Aziz Behich, Jacob Italiano
In the XI: Injuries to both Bos (hamstring) and Italiano (calf) look set to rule them out of the coming window, while Behich wasn't risked in City's midweek trip to Tokyo for the Asian Champions League Elite. The planets could therefore be aligning for Rowles to start at left-wing back for the third window in a row -- potentially against 13th-ranked Colombia in New York.
Rising: Elder has long been on the fringes of the Socceroos, only for a combination of woefully timed injuries and the presence of an established starter in Behich and a rising star in Bos to stymie his aspirations. But fit and playing regularly on the left side of John Eustace's back five at Derby County, a second-ever cap could be in the offing.
Talking point: A frequent collaborator of Popovic going back to his Perth days, Davidson returned to the A-League Men with the hope of forcing his way back into the Socceroos and has worn the Melbourne Victory armband for the first three weeks of the campaign. Could injuries mean he returns to the national team slightly ahead of schedule?
Center back
Starters: Cameron Burgess, Milos Degenek, Jason Geria
Next in line: Hayden Matthews, Kye Rowles, Jack Iredale, Kai Trewin, Thomas Deng, Gianni Stensness
Injured: Harry Souttar, Alessandro Circati
In the XI: Circati has been absolutely flying for club and country, but after an ankle injury forced him off in Parma's 3-1 loss to Bologna over the weekend, it's unlikely we'll see him this window. The fervent hope, eight months out from a World Cup, is that it's not serious. Geria, who played against the USMNT and has been starting for Albirex Niigata after recovering from injury, shapes as a potential replacement, which would give Popovic a chance to gauge a new trio in him, Burgess, and Degenek.
Rising: After a long injury layoff, Stensness has recently returned to Eliteserien action with table-topping Viking FK and it wouldn't be outlandish to think that, able to do so for the first time, Popovic may want to call the two-time Socceroo into camp to gauge where he's at physically and see how he handles the environment, despite limited club minutes.
Talking point: Should his recovery go as planned and he returns at something approaching the level he was, Souttar should be back in time for the Roos' next window in March. This could heighten the importance of November for the defenders: seeking to avoid being the one squeezed out by the big man's return.
Right back
Starter: Lewis Miller
Next in line: Fran Karačić, Sammy Silvera, Nathaniel Atkinson, Jason Geria, Callum Talbot
Injured: Jacob Italiano, Ryan Strain
In the XI: Miller presents as an interesting case for the Socceroos, as while he's most known internationally for being a fullback, he's been playing as a right-sided center back at Blackburn Rovers, and he's in damn good form there. Given the injury to Circati, Popovic may want to take a look at him centrally, but with the fullbacks hit by injury as well, he's still probably the best option on the right.
Rising: After missing the last two international windows through injury, Karačić has made his return to action with Hajduk Split and should once again be in the frame. He also has experience playing centrally.
Talking point: Silvera has been in and out of the Middlesbrough squad as of late, but with Italiano's calf injury and Strain's return cut short by more concern over his hamstring, the 25-year-old could get another opportunity to press his case this month.
Central midfield
Starters: Aiden O'Neill, Maximilien Balard
Next in line: Jackson Irvine, Patrick Yazbek, Cameron Devlin, Ajdin Hrustic, Kai Trewin, Alex Robertson, Denis Genreau, Keanu Baccus
In the XI: With Irvine still restricted to bench appearances since returning for St. Pauli, it's probably a bridge too far to expect him to start. Indeed, he might not even be included in the squad as Popovic may want the 32-year-old to continue to build his fitness in Hamburg). Nonetheless, his return to the field will put pressure on incumbents O'Neill, Balard, and Yazbek, the latter of whom is pushing the former pair already.
Rising: Devlin didn't see the field after his call-up for the October window but his play with Hearts, logging every minute of every game as he helps drive their unlikely surge to the top of the Scottish Premiership, surely has to be worth some minutes this month, right?
Talking point: With Aurelio Vidmar signalling that Trewin will play as a No. 6 for City this season, his chances of breaking into the Socceroos, on first glance, may have taken a hit. But a defence-first-minded option like Trewin, especially with his passing range, could offer Popovic an option to pair with a more aggressive partner.
Left wing
Starter: Connor Metcalfe
Next in line: Riley McGree, Craig Goodwin, Marco Tilio, Mathew Leckie, Sammy Silvera
Injured: Nishan Velupillay, Adrian Segečić
In the XI: Metcalfe continues to come off the bench in the Bundesliga -- he did get a start in St Pauli's win over Hoffenheim in the DFB Pokal -- but has emerged as a consistent member of Popovic's XIs. Teammates Mo Touré and Nestory Irankunda are fans; the latter stating Metcalfe doesn't get the credit he deserves following last month's game against the United States and both viewing the winger as possessing "aura".
Rising: There's obviously still a layer of physical rust he needs to knock off, but Goodwin has quickly re-established himself as a key plank of Adelaide United's youthful attack, and his left foot remains as lethal as ever.
Talking point: After being in full training for several weeks, McGree has made back-to-back substitute appearances for Middlesbrough. A case can be made for leaving him out of the squad to build on this momentum, but Popovic and his staff could well want to get a gauge on his physical levels themselves.
Right wing
Starter: Nestory Irankunda
Next in line: Ajdin Hrustić, Martin Boyle, Daniel Arzani, Nicolas Milanovic, Connor Metcalfe
Injured: Jed Drew
In the XI: As one would expect of a 19-year-old getting their first taste of arguably the world's most relentless league, Irankunda has experienced some ups and downs with Watford lately. Persevering through this, though, is a big part of his development and something Popovic has said he wants to see from the dynamo.
Rising: Nabbing a swathe of goals and assists as a suddenly free-scoring Heracles Almelo ride a new-coach bounce after Bas Sibum's ousting, Hrustić is logging regular midfield minutes in the Netherlands, making him an option in attack or deeper for Popovic.
Talking point: After a promising early start in Aberdeen, Milanović has been seeing sporadic minutes as of late, while in Edinburgh, Boyle has been in and out of Hibernian's lineup. Arzani, meanwhile, got a rare start in Hungary recently, but it's been a challenging start to life in Budapest. There's scope for a player to press their case out on the right.
Striker
Starter: Mo Touré
Next in line: Mitchell Duke, Nicholas D'Agostino, Zac Sapsford, Noah Botić, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Deni Juric, Max Caputo, Adam Taggart
In the XI: Touré continues to rack up consistent minutes with Randers -- meeting a key Popovic demand -- and smashed in a brace against Viborg FF over the weekend. The 21-year-old is another the coach could opt to give a break, having seen plenty of him over the last two windows, or he may call him up again to continue testing his ability to handle the grind of leading the line.
Rising: Finding his feet in Austria, Botić netted a brace in Austria Vienna's recent win over WSG Swarovski Tirol and has put together a run of starts. Sapsford and fellow Scotland-based Aussie Stamatelopoulos have been amongst the goals, too. Still just 28, Jurić has quietly scored eight goals in 13 games across Slovenia and Poland this season.
Talking point: It feels increasingly likely that the No. 9 position, alongside perhaps the fullback roles, will be the most "horses for courses" position come the World Cup. With just two windows until Popovic names his squad, it will be illuminative to not only see who plays this month but how they're asked to.