Monograph: Australia National Team

973/FCS

Perspectives: is an essay series and interviews dedicated to bring sociological, political, economical and cultural thoughts on the game by experts, local actors, thinkers, and researchers. These essays are designed to start conversations, understand the new issues and give policy-oriented takeaways.

If you would like to share your perspectives, please contact info@footballcasestudy.com

MONOGRAPH*

THE SOCCEROOS

Words and Photography by Aleksandar Jason
Dec 15, 2025

Watching Australia take on Peru in 2022 and secure FIFA World Cup qualification live on television was an indescribable moment full of the surreal emotions and euphoric feelings. Many countries and supporters know this feeling; but there’s also plenty who will never understand it, as for them, qualifying for a World Cup comes easy.

It was only a few weeks later that I got the call from the national team media crew saying they’d love for me to join them in Brisbane for a friendly against New Zealand.

With the World Cup sitting inside that calendar, I had high hopes I’d be asked to tag along.

Arriving to the national team camp and meeting all the athletes — some I’d worked with at club level (I’ve been the Melbourne City Club Photographer since 2015), some I’d worked alongside on brand and campaign shoots, and some who were purely European-based footballers I’d only ever watched from afar — felt surreal.

It’s hard to describe how it feels to be called up for your country as a photographer. Being the club photographer for Melbourne City, I always joked that it was my national team call-up; colleagues and I would even count matchdays as caps or appearances for our nation.

As you’d guess, I was asked to join the team in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup that summer. Growing up, you always want to be a footballer. I never got to live that dream, but I get to live it on the sidelines. I’ve been able to be part of so many memorable moments at club level, and the prospect of ticking that dream off at the national level was more than a dream.

To have the World Cup be my first major tournament, and also my first couple of games as national photographer, was, as many would say, a baptism by fire—but I loved that. I lived off that energy and trust.

Walking out early onto the pitch prior to all the noise, just you on the pitch, camera in hand, looking around the stadium, you realise you didn't get to make it to a World Cup as a footballer, but you are proud that you found a sense of professionalism, skill and hard work to get yourself here. It’s a different way, a different form, but you've still been able to reach the top of the top in football. Being able to wear the national emblem alongside my initials: it was a dream.

All three group stage games (France, Tunisia and Denmark) had their very own penultimate moments in history for both football and Australia. To be at the matches documenting and living these moments first-hand comes with feelings I will never be able to explain.

Craig Goodwin scoring the opening goal vs France and the crowd’s roar following; Mitchell Duke finishing off a header that many would not attempt; and of course, Mathew Leckie sending the Danish team packing in a moment that erupted across all of Australia. To be standing in the corner, me and my yellow bucket hat, deciding which lens, what angle, how to shoot it and why, while just reminding myself to “do my job” — it was all unbelievably fun.

The World Cup was the beginning of it all, and following the tournament, I traveled for friendlies, from taking on England at Wembley to a friendly with Messi’s Argentinian side in Beijing.

The next major event for us was the 2024 Asia Cup. All was going well until South Korea’s Son Heung-min decided to end our campaign in stoppage time. Despite the heartbreaking end of that journey, when reflecting over the exciting 30+ days, I was more than grateful as a creative to have the honor of saying that my job and sole purpose was to document every second of the journey, both on and off the pitch, whether it was amongst 80,000 Messi fans or on the holy turf of Wembley.

Sitting in my room after all that, from memory one of three group games finished at midnight, getting back to our base around 2am — editing entire galleries that night, going to bed at 4am and starting it all over the next day — It was a thrill, a rush and I enjoyed every second of it, especially working alongside the fellow staff members, my media crew, and meeting so many others living their dream around the world (shout out to the french national photographer Simon Morcel).

Being able to say that I had the opportunity to represent a position of staff and wear the navy blue with the Australian emblem and flag on my tracksuit, even almost missing the birth of my daughter due to Australia beating Denmark to face Argentina in the World Cup in the process, I am grateful and will always look back with a smile. I worked my a** off to get there, and hard work always pays off.

My time did come to an end, but my ever-growing, over-a-decade-long story with Melbourne City FC is one I am excited to continue nurturing.

INDEX NEXT