Manager: Pim Verbeek

Key player: Tim Cahill

Best: Round two (2006)

World ranking: 21

Guus Hiddink may have gone but his influence remains. The Socceroos showed the same level of skill and passion that saw them only narrowly beaten by eventual winners Italy in the second round in 2006 by easing into the 2010 World Cup without conceding a goal in the six matches it took them to qualify. A 0-0 draw against Qatar in Doha wrapped things up for Pim Verbeek's team after they picked up 14 points in Group A of the final Asian qualifying phase.

There are plenty of faces familiar to fans of the Premier League in the Australia squad. Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer, Everton defender Lucas Neill, and midfield duo Brett Emerton of Blackburn and Everton's Tim Cahill all feature regularly for their respective sides. Former Leeds and Liverpool winger Harry Kewell, now with Galatasaray is another skilled, if inconsistent performer. The highest seeded sides will not relish a group encounter with them and they may well make another foray into the knockout stages.