'We are very familiar with Qatar' - Australia's Graham Arnold looking forward to the 2023 Asian Cup

• Australia are familiar with Qatar
• Enjoy playing in Qatar stadiums
• Want to build on 2022 World Cup performance

WHAT HAPPENED? Australia reached the round of 16 in the 2022 World Cup before being ousted by world champions Argentina. Socceroos coach Graham Arnold wants his team to build on their performance from the World Cup and keep improving as a team.

The 59-year-old manager also stated that they enjoyed playing in the stadiums in Qatar and hoped that the team's familiarity with the conditions will help them during the Asian Cup 2023. They have been clubbed in Group B in the Asian Cup alongside Uzbekistan, Syria and India.

WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to GOAL, Arnold said, "We are just continuing what we did in Qatar in the World Cup. It is the most important thing. We obviously have gone up in the rankings because of our performance. We will just keep those performances going."

Heaping praise on Qatar's infrastructure, the Australian coach added, "The most important thing is that we get our planning and preparation right. We did that very well here for the World Cup. We are very familiar with Qatar because we have been playing the World Cup qualifiers here as well during COVID. We played about 10 games here and we have been successful. We enjoy the stadiums, we know what to expect from Qatar as a country. We look forward to the Asian Cup."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Australia finished runners-up in the 2011 Asian Cup and won the flagship continental competition in 2015. In the last edition of the tournament, they were eliminated from the quarter-final after a 1-0 defeat at the hands of UAE.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR AUSTRALIA? Graham Arnold's men will be next seen in action in an international friendly match against England in October.