The Socceroos have begun their final preparations for the upcoming World Cup campaign with a high-profile warm-up match against Mexico at the iconic Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

The live blog captures the atmosphere, tactical decisions and early action as Australia fine-tunes its squad under coach Tony Popovic ahead of squad selection deadlines.

Popovic used the fixture as a key opportunity to assess his preferred starting XI, which appeared close to what may be used in their World Cup opener against Turkey.

Notably, Cristian Volpato was not included in the starting lineup despite recent developments confirming his switch of international allegiance from Italy to Australia.

His eligibility was confirmed, and while he may still feature, Popovic indicated squad decisions would be finalised shortly after this match and the next friendly.

The absence of several fringe players such as Brandon Borrello, Tete Yengi and goalkeeper Joe Gauci suggests the coach is leaning towards a settled core group.The match itself opened in a lively fashion, with Mexico pressing early and forcing Socceroos defender Harry Souttar into immediate action.The Rose Bowl atmosphere was dominated by a large Mexican crowd, creating a challenging environment for the Australian side.

The fixture also includes experimental match conditions aligned with World Cup rules, including the allowance of up to 11 substitutions and scheduled drinks breaks in each half.Popovic highlighted that selection remains open, with decisions to be made across the squad in the coming days.The game serves as both a tactical rehearsal and a final chance for players to impress before the final 26-man squad is confirmed.Overall, the encounter is being treated as a crucial benchmark for Australia’s readiness ahead of their World Cup campaign.