Australia to face Graham Arnold's Iraq at 2027 Asian Cup

Iraq coach Graham Arnold and Australia manager Tony Popovic were once rival bosses of Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Socceroos learned of their three Group D opponents overnight and face a potential meeting with defending champions Qatar or Asian powerhouses Japan in the semi-finals.

Australia were drawn into Group D alongside Singapore, Iraq and Tajikistan for the continental showpiece event, which will take place in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5.

The rank no. 27 Socceroos are expected to be far too good for Singapore (rank 147) and Tajikistan (rank 103), but will be jostling with Graham Arnold's Iraq (rank 57) for top spot in the group when they face off on matchday two at the King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh.

Arnold, who managed the Socceroos before current head coach Tony Popovic, recently steered Iraq to their first World Cup finals in 40 years with plucky performances against the United Arab Emirates and Bolivia, defeating the latter 2-1 as narrow outsiders in a single-leg play-off in Mexico.

Australia and Iraq were winners of their respective Asian Cup qualifying groups, both winning all six of their games in comfortable fashion.

The winner of Group D will be handed a significant advantage in the Round 16, facing a third-place finisher from Groups B, E or F, whilst the runner-up of Group E (South Korea, UAE, Vietnam and the winner of a qualifier between Lebanon and Yemen).

There'll be no easy semi-final for the Socceroos, should they make it far, with Group F giants Qatar (champions in 2019 and 2023) and Japan (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011) to split off into separate halves of the knockout bracket should they finish top-two of the group as expected.

2015 champions Australia will be making their sixth appearance at the tournament since moving from Oceania to Asia in the 2000s, and were disappointingly dumped out at the quarter-finals stage of the last two editions.

(Kickoff times TBD - Saudi Arabia will be eight hours behind AEDT in January)

Australia v Singapore, Saturday 10 January

Australia v Iraq, Thursday 14 January

Australia v Tajikistan, Tuesday 19 January

Group A:0Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine

Group B:0Uzbekistan, Bahrain, DPR Korea, Jordan

Group C: Iran, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, China

Group D:0Australia, Tajikistan, Iraq, Singapore

Group E:0South Korea, UAE, Vietnam, Lebanon or Yemen

Group F:0Japan, Qatar, Thailand, Indonesia