Socceroos secure World Cup place with come-from-behind win over Saudi Arabia

• Australia needed to avoid heavy defeat to reach North America
  
• Connor Metcalfe and Mitch Duke score in 2-1 win in Jeddah

It probably got a bit more tense than it should have for a while, but all the disclaimers can now finally be set aside. The Socceroos no longer have ?one foot in the door?, nor have they ?all but qualified?. After their 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, it?s official: Australia will be at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Half a world away from home, the final whistle was mostly greeted by silence from the stands but nothing could contain the jubilation of the Australians. A campaign that began with a winless opening window against Bahrain and Indonesia has now ended with wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia and automatic qualification. Mission accomplished.
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