AUSTRALIA NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

The history of the Australian men’s national football team dates back to 1922, when the Commonwealth Football Association accepted an invitation from New Zealand Football to embark on Australia’s first international tour. The squad was assembled primarily from players representing New South Wales and Queensland, the two strongest footballing regions at the time.

The tour consisted of fourteen matches, including three official Test internationals. Australia’s first-ever international match took place in Dunedin on 17 June 1922. New Zealand won 3–1, with William Maunder scoring the inaugural goal in Australian national team history.

For this early tour, Australia wore a light-blue kit paired with maroon-hooped socks—a design chosen to reflect the state colours of New South Wales (blue) and Queensland (maroon). These colours remained part of the team’s identity until 1924, when the now-iconic green and gold were adopted, establishing the national sporting colours that continue to represent Australia across multiple sports today.