Already with a five-point lead at the top of Group I, Australia will take on hosts Bangladesh in the World Cup qualifying match at 4.45 p.m. at Bashundhara Kings Arena on Thursday. The Socceroos visit Bashundhara Kings Arena after back-to-back wins over Lebanon and are well on their way to the 2026 finals. Meanwhile, Bangladesh are essentially playing only for pride.
Four wins from four with 12 points have helped Socceroos guarantee their top-two finish in Group I with two games remaining, and a place in the next round of Asian World Cup qualifying already awaits.
Having received a bye through the first phase, Graham Arnold's squad began their bid to reach a sixth straight global finals with a 7-0 thrashing of Bangladesh and a more closely contested 1-0 away win over Palestine.
After tasting disappointment at the Asian Cup, where they were eliminated by South Korea in the quarter-finals, the Socceroos resumed their qualifying campaign in March, with a double-header against Lebanon.
Australia first beat the Cedars 2-0 in Sydney, then proceeded to go up a gear in Canberra, as Craig Goodwin struck twice during a comfortable 5-0 victory.
Yet to concede, and with 15 goals on the board so far, Arnold's side are therefore assured of making the third round, and as AFC nations have been allocated eight direct qualifying slots - plus one playoff place - reaching World Cup 2026 should be a formality.
Walking out onto such a stage remains the stuff of dreams for Bangladesh, however, as the South Asian minnows are rock-bottom of Group I with just one point to their name thus far.
After their hammering by Australia, the Red and Green managed to hold Lebanon to a 1-1 draw in November, with Shekh Morsalin finding the net to level the scores on 72 minutes.
In March, though, Javier Cabrera's team lost 5-0 to Palestine in Kuwait, before the same opponents stole a late 1-0 win in Dhaka five days later.
Of course, Bangladesh have never appeared at a World Cup - and their only Asian Cup came back in 1980 - so simply avoiding heavy defeat on Thursday would represent an acceptable result for a nation placed 184th in FIFA's world rankings.
Sitting 160 places above Bangladesh in the FIFA rankings, Australia can expect to wrap up top spot in Group I with the minimum of fuss.
The Socceroos scored seven times in November's reverse fixture, but as they are already qualified and may field an unfamiliar lineup, the outcome could be a little less spectacular in Dhaka.
