page_title: History of the Australia national soccer team
section_title: 1922–64: Early years
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Australia national soccer team / 1922–64: Early years
caption_attribution_description: English: Football match: national teams of New Zealand (in black) and Australia.
context_page_description: The history of the Australia national soccer team dates back to the team's formation and first ever international match in 1922.
context_section_description: The first Australia national team was constituted in 1922 for a tour of New Zealand., which included two defeats and a draw. Australia, New Zealand and South Africa became regular opponents in test (exhibition) matches for the next 36 years, with Australia playing South Africa on 14 occasions in three test series and Australia playing trans-Tasman neighbours New Zealand on 21 occasions in seven test series during that time period. During that period, Australia also competed against Canada and India during their tours of Australia in 1924 and 1938 respectively. Australia recorded their worst ever defeat on 30 June 1951 as they lost 17–0 in a test match to a touring England side.
  Australia would have a rare opportunity to compete on the world's stage during the team's very first major international tournament as hosts of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. A squad coached by Richard Telfer set out to try to win the tournament on home turf where they were drawn against Japan in the round of 16 (as the tournament was held in the knock-out stage format). A goal in each half, a penalty scored by Graham McMillan in the 26th minute and then a goal by Irish born striker Frank Loughran in the 61st minute, was enough to see off Japan. Facing India in the quarter-final stages, two goals from Bruce Morrow saw Australia equalise twice in the first half (first 1–1 and then 2–2). The teams were locked at 2–2 until the 50th minute, when India's Neville D'Souza put his side ahead before Krishna Kittu added another in the 80th minute. It was ultimately the squad's lack of experience that proved to be reason for the team's disappointing performance in the tournament, with Laurie Schwab from The Age commenting, "Australian soccer has lost a wonderful chance to gain world prominence and the game has suffered a body blow". The advent of cheap air travel in the 1960s allowed Australia to diversify its range of opponents. However, its geographical isolation continued to play a role in its destiny for the next 30 years.
caption: The first Australia team playing New Zealand in 1922
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