Ipswich Town defender Cameron Burgess is set to play at the 2026 World Cup with Australia _(Image: Ross Halls)_
This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald.
Ipswich Town defender Cameron Burgess has helped Australia qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The Socceroos knew that they were on the brink of securing their place by beating Japan last Thursday, but Saudi Arabia's win against Bahrain meant that they had to wait for confirmation.
The two teams met in Jeddah this evening, where the hosts knew that they would have to win by at least four goals to swing things in their favour.
They took the lead through Abdulrahman Al-Obood, but Tony Popovic's side struck either side of the interval to take the lead, with Connor Metcalfe and Mitchell Duke on the scoresheet.
**READ MORE:** [Watch: How good was Cameron Humphreys on loan at Wycombe? Get expert insight here](https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/25225195.watch-good-cameron-humphreys-loan-wycombe-get-expert-insight/?ref=ial)
The result means that Burgess, who played the full 90 minutes against Saudi Arabia and now has 17 international caps to his name, is set to feature at next year's World Cup in North America. If he does, it will be his international tournament debut.
Australia have qualified for the last five World Cups, with their best run taking them to the round of 16 in 2006 and 2022.
Burgess is out of contract at Ipswich this summer, with negotiations ongoing about an extension amid reported interest from La Liga side Girona and Scottish giants Rangers.