Riley McGree, a key attacker and playmaker for Australia, suffered a hamstring injury playing for Middlesbrough in the English Championship play-off final against Hull City at Wembley on May 24 [1, 2]. The 27-year-old, capped 35 times by the Socceroos, was only included in the match due to Southampton’s late expulsion for cheating, which indirectly kept Middlesbrough in the playoffs [2].
As a result of the injury, McGree has been ruled out of the 2026 World Cup tournament starting June 11 in North America [3, 4, 2]. His absence leaves Australia light on attacking options, especially on the left flank, just weeks before the tournament [3, 4, 2].
McGree had not yet joined the Socceroos’ pre-tournament training camp in Florida, due to Middlesbrough’s extended play-off run [1, 2]. The training squad initially included 29 players, from which the final 26-man World Cup roster is expected to be announced on June 1 by coach Tony Popovic [3, 1, 4, 2].
Striker Mitch Duke, who scored for Australia at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, was cut from the training camp, effectively ending his chances to return for this tournament [3, 2]. Meanwhile, uncapped forward Tete Yengi, who plays in Japan and stands 197 cm tall, received his first call-up to the pre-tournament squad following McGree’s injury and other roster cuts [3, 2]. Tete is the younger brother of Kusini Yengi, who missed this World Cup due to injury [3, 2].
Australia will play warm-up friendlies against Mexico in Pasadena on May 30 or 31, depending on the source, and Switzerland in San Diego on June 6 or 7 before their World Cup opener [3, 1, 4, 2]. The tournament debut against Turkey is scheduled for June 13 or 14 in Vancouver, with dates varying by source as well [3, 1, 4, 2].
Coach Tony Popovic is expected to finalize the Socceroos squad on June 1 following the Florida camp. The team’s warm-up matches will test preparations ahead of the opening group stage match in Vancouver.
