October 6 (Reuters) Massimo Luongo, an Ipswich Town midfielder, has withdrawn from Australia’s World Cup qualifying match against China and Japan scheduled for next week, Football Australia reported on Sunday. The injury is related to an ankle.
Luongo did not participate in the Premier League team’s 4-1 defeat to West Ham United on Saturday. Fellow midfielder Connor Metcalfe was also injured, missing St Pauli’s 3-0 Bundesliga loss to Mainz.
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Luke Brattan of Macarthur FC and Patrick Yazbek of Nashville SC have been called up by coach Tony Popovic to replace injured players for the qualifiers, which are scheduled for Thursday in Adelaide and October 15 in Saitama.
For the first time since changing his decision to retire from international football, Luongo was called up to the squad on Friday. The 32-year-old was a member of Popovic’s initial team when the former defender took over as coach last month, replacing Graham Arnold.
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The Australians, who have one point from their first two games in the third phase of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers—losing to Bahrain and drawing 0-0 with Indonesia—must win their match against China.
In Group C of the qualifiers, the Socceroos sit three points behind second-place Saudi Arabia and five points behind leaders Japan.
Only the first two finishers in the group are assured to qualify for the World Cup, with teams in third and fourth in the six-nation standings going to a further round of qualification.
Luongo, Metcalfe ruled out of World Cup qualifiers
Massimo Luongo’s Socceroos return has been put on hold after he was cut down by an untimely ankle injury ahead of Australia’s crunch World Cup qualifiers.
Luongo came out of international retirement and was named by new Socceroos coach Tony Popovic for the upcoming matches against China and Japan.
The two games are crucial for Australia’s hopes of earning direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
But Football Australia revealed on Sunday that Luongo won’t be available for either international, citing an ankle injury suffered while with his Premier League club Ipswich Town.
The injury also ruled out Luongo from the Tractor Boys’ 4-1 loss to West Ham United on the weekend.
In another blow for the Socceroos, Connor Metcalfe, who plays for Bundesliga outfit St Pauli, has also been ruled out with a leg injury.
No time frames have been set for the return of either Luongo or Metcalfe.
Luke Brattan (Macarthur FC) and Patrick Yazbek (Nashville SC) have been brought in to replace the injured duo.
Yazbek earns a recall for the first time since making his international debut against Lebanon in March 2024, while Brattan joins the Socceroos’ squad for the first time since 2018.
The Socceroos face China in Adelaide on Thursday before flying to Saitama for a tough clash with Japan.
Graham Arnold stepped down as Socceroos coach after Australia started this phase of World Cup qualifying with a 1-0 home loss to Bahrain and a 0-0 draw away to Indonesia.
Only the top two nations of the six-team group are guaranteed a spot at the World Cup, with the third-placed team forced into another phase of qualifying.
Japan currently sits at the top of Group C with two wins from as many outings.
Saudi Arabia is second with a win and a draw, while Bahrain (three points) and Indonesia (two) are third and fourth, respectively.
Australia, with just one point to their name, sits fifth, above only China (zero).
Luongo won the 2015 Asian Cup’s MVP award in Australia’s triumphant tournament and last appeared for the Socceroos in November last year.
He was set to be among eight new faces from a squad that flopped badly against Bahrain and Indonesia.
