Graham Arnold to break Australian National Team coaching record in Melbourne | Football Australia

One of Australian football’s most passionate and committed servants, Arnold will surpass Frank Farina’s record for most 'A’ Internationals as men’s national team Head Coach (58) when he steps into the technical area for the 59^th occasion on Thursday.  

Arnold – who also boasts 56 caps as a player – has been involved in national team coaching ranks since 2000, first as an assistant to Farina and then Guus Hiddink, before a brief period as caretaker coach in 2006. 

After time spent at the helm of Australia’s U-23 program including the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Arnold went to club coaching, first with Central Coast Mariners FC and then Sydney FC – bringing domestic success to both outfits, while helping usher in a new generation of Australian representatives at club level.

Appointed as the men’s national team Head Coach following the completion of the 2018 FIFA World Cup^TM in Russia, Arnold was immediately presented with a major tournament in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup^TM, before embarking on what would be a successful qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022^TM – despite the challenges presented by COVID-19 throughout that period.  

Throughout his two stints at the helm of the Subway Socceroos, Arnold’s record across his 58 games in charge stands at 33 wins, 9 draws and 16 losses. Since his appointment in 2018, Arnold has only had the opportunity to coach on Australian soil on 10 occasions, in large part due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions.  

In addition to his senior role, Arnold also took on the dual responsibility of the U-23 program in 2019, guiding the Subway Olyroos in their Olympic campaign for Tokyo 2020 – overseeing the emergence of a new wave of national team players from within this development