Socceroos Beat Qatar 3-0 in Doha as Four Players Make Their Debut

DOHA, November 13, 2026 — Australia beat Qatar 3-0 in an international friendly, with first-half goals from Riley McGree, Tete Yengi and Nestory Irankunda, Football Australia said.

The match was played at Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, according to BBC Sport and ABC News. McGree opened the scoring in the fifth minute after a mistake by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada left him with an open net. Football Australia said it was McGree’s second international goal. Tete Yengi made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute, finishing from Connor Metcalfe’s pass for his second international goal on his sixth cap. Irankunda added the third in the 40th minute, again after Metcalfe had won the ball, driving a firm shot past the goalkeeper.

Football Australia said the Socceroos did not allow Qatar much of the ball or any shots on goal in a dominant first half. BBC Sport’s match statistics listed Australia with 54.7 per cent of possession, 14 shots to Qatar’s three, and seven shots on target to none. Australia recorded 30 touches in the opposition box to Qatar’s five, and the Qatar goalkeeper made four saves. Football Australia said Qatar’s first shot of the night did not arrive until the 72nd minute. A late Qatar effort by Yusuf Abdurisag, which entered the net, was ruled offside.

Four players made their Socceroos debuts after the break. Eli Adams and Samuel Klein became Australia’s 663rd and 664th caps when they replaced McGree and Jacob Italiano in the 65th minute. Kasey Bos became cap number 665 in the 77th minute, coming on for Aziz Behich, and Diesel Herrington became cap number 666 in the 81st minute when he replaced his brother, Lucas, in defence. Football Australia said Kasey Bos wore the No. 5 shirt of his brother Jordy, who remains unavailable because of injury.

There were also returns for players who had been away from the side for some time. Kusini Yengi came on at half-time for his first appearance since 2024, replacing his brother Tete, while Gianni Stensness returned for the first time since 2022, replacing Alessandro Circati in the 65th minute. Marcus Younis and Jason Geria were also introduced in that wave of changes.

Head coach Tony Popovic made one change to the side that faced Brazil in last month’s two-match friendly series, bringing McGree into the starting eleven in place of Jackson Irvine, who was left out of the squad for this window. Earlier in the first half, Circati forced a save after arriving in the box on a counter-attack, and McGree sent a volley over the crossbar, Football Australia said.

Football Australia described the result as the Socceroos’ first victory since they defeated Türkiye at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Attention now turns to the second match of the window against Jordan, a fixture Football Australia has already confirmed will be played in Doha rather than Amman. ABC News described Qatar as the defending Asian Cup champions. The Qatar News Agency said the hosts will also face South Korea at the same stadium next Tuesday.

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