Australia 2-0 Turkey: Socceroos stun the favourites in Vancouver

Australia produced one of the early shocks of the 2026 World Cup, beating a fancied Turkey side 2-0 at BC Place in Vancouver. Tony Popovic's underdogs were disciplined in defence and ruthless on the counter.

A teenage opener and a sealed deal

The breakthrough came in the 27th minute and belonged to a 20-year-old. Nestory Irankunda latched onto a long ball forward from Paul Okon-Engstler, took a wonderful first touch and finished — becoming the youngest player ever to score for Australia at a World Cup.

Turkey pushed for an equaliser but ran into an inspired Patrick Beach, who made eight saves, the most by an Australia goalkeeper in a World Cup match. With 15 minutes to play, Connor Metcalfe broke clear and drilled a low finish into the bottom corner to settle it at 2-0.

What it means for Group D

The win throws Group D wide open behind the USA, who beat Paraguay 4-1 in the other opener. Australia's three points, allied to a clean sheet, put them in a strong early position to chase the second qualifying spot, with Turkey now under pressure to respond. It was just Australia's fifth World Cup victory, and few will have been as unexpected. Revisit the game on the match page or see the full schedule at matches.