Why national football team of Australia play in the AFC?

Here are two reasons why the national football team of Australia plays in the Asian Football Confederation rather than the Oceania Football Confederation.

The decision for the Australian national football team to play in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rather than the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) was driven by strategic considerations to enhance the team's competitiveness and development opportunities.

Historically, Australia competed in the OFC but were faced with two main problems. 1. They faced little competition, which was hampering their growth, and 2. As far as World Cup qualification is concerned, the winner of the Oceania zone has to play an intercontinental playoff to secure a berth at the World Cup. As such, Australia were knocked out multiple times by stronger opponents in the playoffs.

In 2005, they submitted a request to FIFA to become part of the AFC, which was approved. This was a turning point for Australian football, as since then, the Socceroos have qualified for every edition of the World Cup.


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