MELBOURNE, Sept 20 (Askume) – Graham Arnold has resigned as Australia’s head coach, saying the decision was “best for the country” after a poor start to the third stage of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Arnold’s resignation ended his second six-year term. He was heavily criticised after losing 1-0 at home to Bahrain and drawing 0-0 with Indonesia, the weakest team in Asian football.
Despite a poor start in qualifying, the decision has come as a surprise after Football Federation Australia chief executive James Johnson strongly backed the 61-year-old a week ago, saying he could get the team back on track.
Alexander-Arnold said in an FA statement: “After the game against Indonesia I said I needed to make some decisions and after some deep reflection my conscience told me now was the time to make a change.”
“I have decided to resign, which is what is best for the country, the players and Australian football.
“I have given my very best to my role and am extremely proud of what I have achieved during my tenure.”
Johnson said Arnold had informed the FA of his decision earlier this week and the board had accepted the decision. He added that the governing body hoped to appoint a permanent replacement before the next World Cup qualifiers in China in October.
“We have less than three weeks to go until the game, so we are not planning to appoint an interim coach,” Johnson told a news conference in Sydney.
“Our plan is to go out and appoint a permanent coach who we believe shares our vision and can get the best out of this squad for the 2026 World Cup.”
Johnson said he felt Arnold had “lost his energy” and that his successor would need to understand the Australian mindset and guide the team through the complex Asian qualifying process.
Alexander-Arnold’s departure marks the end of an era for a team that lacked the world-class players to perform well at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Inspired by grit and determination, Australia reached the last 16 and won two matches at a World Cup for the first time, making the players heroes and Arnold a household name in Australia.
The raspy-voiced coach, known only as “Ernie,” raised the possibility that something better could happen at the 2026 North American Finals.
However, Qatar proved to be the pinnacle for Trent Alexander-Arnold and his team, who have faded in the region since winning the 2015 Asian Cup and failed to win the continental title in 2019 and 2023 under Alexander-Arnold, finishing in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Despite a strong defence, Australia have long lacked quality playmakers and forwards, and Arnold has been largely unable to break down weaker opponents and solve their goal-scoring problems.
This has come to the fore in recent weeks against Bahrain and Indonesia, when Australia, ranked 25th in the world, suffered embarrassing defeats at the hands of lower-ranked nations and finished fifth in a six-team group.
These setbacks are not fatal to Australia’s hopes of qualifying for a sixth consecutive World Cup in 2026, which Johnson believes they will achieve under the new leadership.
“We have faith in the players. We have faith in the team. We are confident that the team will move forward and qualify for the 2026 World Cup,” he said.
