Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Canberra Stadium today announced that the Qantas Socceroos will host Malaysia in an international friendly match in Canberra on Friday 7 October 2011 (8pm kick-off).
This will be the first meeting between the Qantas Socceroos and Malaysia in Australia and the match will be used as a crucial build-up to the Qantas Socceroos' 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier against Oman at ANZ Stadium in Sydney four days later.
Tickets for both matches will go on-sale to the Football Family on Monday 12 September and to the general public on Thursday 15 September.
The match will be the seventh meeting between the Qantas Socceroos and Malaysia with the six previous matches between the two countries played at venues in Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia. The last time these two teams met was in 1992 when Malaysia defeated Australia 1-0 in Jakarta.
FFA CEO Ben Buckley said the Malaysia match would be held on a FIFA match date meaning the strongest possible Qantas Socceroos squad would be available for selection.
"This is an exciting opportunity for the people of Canberra to see the Qantas Socceroos in action," Mr Buckley said.
"This match coincides with the NSW & ACT School holidays calendar and with the end of the grassroots football season, it is a perfect way for fans to connect with their Qantas Socceroos heroes," concluded Buckley.
The Qantas Socceroos, fielding a team made up largely of Hyundai A-League players, last played at Canberra Stadium in March 2009 losing to Kuwait in a 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification match in front of a crowd of more than 20,000.
The Qantas Socceroos will then play Oman at ANZ Stadium on Tuesday 11 October 2011 (Kick-Off 7.30pm).
It will be the Qantas Socceroos third match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. The Qantas Socceroos are currently top Group D with wins over Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
Tickets for both matches go on-sale to the Football Family members from 11am (AEST) Monday 12 September. They will be available to the general public from 3pm (AEST) on Thursday 15 September from Ticketek (www.ticketek.com.au).
