Australia is tied with the United States in Group D after surprising Turkey, 2-0
Great opening for Australia at World Cup 2026: 2-0 against Turkey in Vancouver, and an 85% chance of advancing to the knockout stage according to The Athletic.
Australia patiently timed their moment and that was enough to shock Turkey, 2-0, at BC Place in Vancouver to start their World Cup 2026 campaign. The result left Australia level with the United States at the top of Group D, and according to The Athletic's forecast, the Socceroos have an 85% chance of getting through to the knockout stage.
Tony Popovic's team took the lead midway through the first half through 20-year-old Nestory Irankunda. The Watford attacker broke free from a long pass, pushed the ball past the defender, and slotted cleanly past the near post for 1-0. Turkey head coach Vincenzo Montella took a shot at pulling off Kenan Yildiz at halftime, but Australia's back door remained closed.
Turkey went all out in teasing the defense—they had 30, the most by a team that hasn't scored in a World Cup match since Portugal v England in 2006—but still lacked ferocity: their expected goals (xG) were just 1.3. A big reason for this is the 22-year-old Patrick Beach of Melbourne City, who for only the third time wearing the national jersey showed his brilliance in critical catches.
Connor Metcalfe sealed the win 15 minutes from time when he headed home from outside the box to make it 2-0, sending Australian supporters into the stands celebrating. Before the match, the Australian fans in Vancouver were clear about their objective: to disprove the hosts' impression that they were the "easiest" opponents in the group and prove that they would have a tough assignment—especially against the United States—over the next few nights.
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/uploads/wp/2026/06/14010725/GettyImages-2281478574-scaled.jpg?width=1200&height=630&fit=cover" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>Australia won tactically: Turkey was allowed to carry the ball and waited for the right opportunity to attack. This was exactly the threat Montella said his team had to avoid before kickoff, but they still fell into the trap of the Socceroos' solid structure. Despite this, Turkey had enough chances to get a more positive result if they had just been sharper in front of goal.
Looking ahead, Turkey needs to bounce back—Opta estimates they still have a 52% chance of making it to the knockout round. They face Paraguay next, and are expected to be more focused and determined to regain the points they lost in Vancouver.
Meanwhile, Vancouver's first screening as the host city also passed. From the leisurely long walk to BC Place to the newly laid natural grass, the city seemed forced to dress up for its first men's World Cup game. There was also a strong presence of the Turkish supporters, who delivered a roaring atmosphere—something that livened up the night's stage even more.
In the end, two sharp moments from Irankunda and Metcalfe and a steady hand from Beach provided the perfect start to Australia's World Cup 2026 campaign—and a reminder to Group D that they won't be broken easily.
